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. 1989 Nov;8(11):3303–3309. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb08491.x

Intermolecular transphosphorylation between insulin receptors and EGF-insulin receptor chimerae.

R Ballotti 1, R Lammers 1, J C Scimeca 1, T Dull 1, J Schlessinger 1, A Ullrich 1, E Van Obberghen 1
PMCID: PMC401464  PMID: 2583100

Abstract

The insulin receptor, a glycoprotein consisting of two extracellular alpha- and two transmembrane beta-subunits, is thought to mediate hormone action by means of its tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity. To explore the mechanism of insulin receptor phosphorylation we have used NIH3T3 cells transfected with two receptor constructs: one encoding a chimeric receptor composed of the extracellular domain of the human EGF receptor and the cytosolic domain of the human insulin receptor beta-subunit, and a second construct encoding a kinase-defiecient human insulin receptor. Stimulation of these cells with EGF induced tyrosine autophosphorylation of the EGF-insulin receptor chimera (150 kd) and tyrosine phosphorylation of the beta-subunit of the kinase-deficient insulin receptor (95 kd). The phosphopeptides of the autophosphorylated cytoplasmic domain of the EGF-insulin receptor chimera were comparable to those of the transphosphorylated beta-subunit of the kinase-deficient insulin receptor and of the wild-type human insulin receptor. When immunoaffinity purified EGF-insulin receptor hybrids and kinase-deficient insulin receptors were used in a cell lysate phosphorylation assay, it was found that addition of EGF produced 32P-labeling of both receptor species. We conclude that EGF acting directly through the EGF-insulin receptor chimera causes transphosphorylation of the kinase-deficient insulin receptor. These data support the notion that autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor may proceed by an intermolecular mechanism.

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Selected References

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