Generation of intracellular domain of insulin receptor tyrosine kinase by gamma-secretase

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Aug 17;360(1):90-6. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.06.022. Epub 2007 Jun 12.

Abstract

The proteolytic cleavage of a precursor protein into alpha- and beta-subunits by furin is required to form functional insulin receptor (IR). In this study, we examined if IR undergoes the additional presenilin (PS)/gamma-secretase-dependent processing. In cells treated with gamma-secretase inhibitors or expressing the dominant-negative PS1 variant led to the accumulation of an endogenous IR C-terminal fragment. In the presence of proteasome inhibitors, we detected a PS/gamma-secretase cleavage product of the IR, termed the IR intracellular domain (ICD). Cellular fractionation and confocal microscopy analyses showed that the IR-ICD is predominantly detected in the nucleus. These data indicate that IR is a tyrosine kinase receptor, which undergoes PS/gamma-secretase-dependent processing. We also show that the autophosphorylation levels of the IR beta-subunit upon insulin stimulation were decreased by the inactivation of PS/gamma-secretase, raising the possibility that the PS/gamma-secretase proteolysis of IR may play a modulatory role in insulin signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Humans
  • Kidney / metabolism*
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Receptor, Insulin / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*

Substances

  • Receptor, Insulin
  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases