Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M F White

Publications and source records attributed to M F White.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Disruption of IRS-2 causes type 2 diabetes in mice.

Human type 2 diabetes is characterized by defects in both insulin action and insulin secretion. It has been difficult to identify a single molecular abnormality underlying these features. Insulin-receptor substrates (IRS proteins) may be involved in type 2 diabetes: they mediate pleiotropic signals initiated by receptors for insulin and other cytokines. Disruption of IRS-1 in mice retards growth, but diabetes does not develop because insulin secretion increases to compensate for the mild resistance to insulin. Here we show that disruption of IRS-2 impairs both peripheral insulin signalling and pancreatic beta-cell function. IRS-2-deficient mice show progressive deterioration of glucose homeostasis because of insulin resistance in the liver and skeletal muscle and a lack of beta-cell compensation for this insulin resistance. Our results indicate that dysfunction of IRS-2 may contribute to the pathophysiology of human type 2 diabetes.

Animals↗

Mapping of the human insulin receptor substrate-2 gene, identification of a linked polymorphic marker and linkage analysis in families with Type II diabetes: no evidence for a major susceptibility role.

Insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS-2) is a substrate of the insulin receptor and mediates the action of the insulin. Disruption of the IRS-2 gene in mice results in peripheral insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. It is therefore possible that defects in the IRS-2 gene contribute to Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. We have examined the gene for evidence of linkage to Type II diabetes in Ashkenazi Jewish families. Radiation hybrid panel mapping was used to refine the map position of the IRS-2 gene and, in the absence of polymorphic markers within the gene, to identify nearby markers. The IRS-2 gene was placed 23cR from the marker D13S1265 on chromosome 13q34. 200 affected sib-pairs were genotyped for three markers across the region. Nonparametric linkage analysis (GENEHUNTER) used with this data found no evidence of excess allele sharing in the IRS-2 gene region. We therefore concluded that variation in the IRS-2 gene is unlikely to contribute to Type II diabetes in this discrete Caucasian population.

Animals↗

The pleckstrin homology and phosphotyrosine binding domains of insulin receptor substrate 1 mediate inhibition of apoptosis by insulin.

Insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) evoke diverse biological effects through receptor-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins. We investigated the elements of IRS-1 signaling that inhibit apoptosis of interleukin 3 (IL-3)-deprived 32D myeloid progenitor cells. 32D cells have few insulin receptors and no IRS proteins; therefore, insulin failed to inhibit apoptosis during IL-3 withdrawal. Insulin stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase in 32D cells expressing insulin receptors (32DIR) but failed to activate the phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI 3)-kinase cascade or to inhibit apoptosis. By contrast, insulin stimulated the PI 3-kinase cascade, inhibited apoptosis, and promoted replication of 32DIR cells expressing IRS-1. As expected, insulin did not stimulate PI 3-kinase in 32DIR cells, which expressed a truncated IRS-1 protein lacking the tail of tyrosine phosphorylation sites. However, this truncated IRS-1 protein, which retained the NH2-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) and phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domains, mediated phosphorylation of PKB/akt, inhibition of apoptosis, and replication of 32DIR cells during insulin stimulation. These results suggest that a phosphotyrosine-independent mechanism mediated by the PH and PTB domains promoted antiapoptotic and growth actions of insulin. Although PI 3-kinase was not activated, its phospholipid products were required, since LY294002 inhibited these responses. Without IRS-1, a chimeric insulin receptor containing a tail of tyrosine phosphorylation sites derived from IRS-1 activated the PI 3-kinase cascade but failed to inhibit apoptosis. Thus, phosphotyrosine-independent IRS-1-linked pathways may be critical for survival and growth of IL-3-deprived 32D cells during insulin stimulation.

Apoptosis↗

Differential regulation of insulin receptor substrate-2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase tyrosine phosphorylation by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a potent neurotropic factor promoting the differentiation and survival of neuronal cells. SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells are a well characterized in vitro model of nervous system growth. We report here that IGF-I stimulated the tyrosine phosphorylation of the type I IGF receptor (IGF-IR) and insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2) in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. These cells lacked IRS-1. After being tyrosine phosphorylated, IRS-2 associated transiently with downstream signaling molecules, including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) and Grb2. Treatment of the cells with PI 3-K inhibitors (wortmannin and LY294002) increased IGF-I-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-2. We also observed a concomitant increase in the mobility of IRS-2, suggesting that PI 3-K mediates or is required for IRS-2 serine/threonine phosphorylation, and that this phosphorylation inhibits IRS-2 tyrosine phosphorylation. Treatment with PI 3-K inhibitors induced an increased association of IRS-2 with Grb2, probably as a result of the increased IRS-2 tyrosine phosphorylation. However, even though the PI 3-K inhibitors enhanced the association of Grb2 with IRS-2, these compounds suppressed IGF-I-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and neurite outgrowth. Together, these results indicate that although PI 3-K participates in a negative regulation of IRS-2 tyrosine phosphorylation, its activity is required for IGF-IR-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and neurite outgrowth.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Interaction of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase: effect of substitution of serine for alanine in potential IRS-1 serine phosphorylation sites.

Serine and threonine phosphorylation has been shown to down-regulate insulin signaling at multiple steps, including the receptor and downstream molecules such as insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1). To further address the mechanism of this regulation at the level of IRS-1, we constructed a double serine mutant of IRS-1: S662A/S731A-IRS-1. The serines 662 and 731 mutated to alanine are surrounding tyrosines Y658 and Y727, respectively. These tyrosines are comprised in YXXM motifs, which are potential binding sites for the p85alpha regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase. In a first series of experiments using the yeast two-hybrid system, we show that IRS-1 interacts with p85alpha, and this interaction depends on tyrosine phosphorylation, as shown with the IRS-1 mutant F18 and 3Y-IRS-1. F18-IRS-1 contains 18 potential tyrosine phosphorylation sites mutated to phenylalanine; three of them, i.e. Y608, 628, and 658, which are potential binding sites for p85alpha, have been added back in the 3Y-IRS-1 mutant. The tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1, which is required for the interaction with p85alpha, is thought to occur via endogenous yeast kinases that phosphorylate IRS-1 at least on these PI 3-kinase-binding sites. Next, we show that not only p85alpha but also p55PIK, another regulatory subunit of PI 3-kinase, interacts with IRS-1 in yeast. Interestingly, for both regulatory subunits their interaction with IRS-1 is up-regulated by mutating serines 662 and 731 on IRS-1. In a previous study we found that insulin-stimulated PI 3-kinase activity was increased not only in the presence of S662A/S731A-IRS-1 but also under resting conditions compared with the activity seen with WT-IRS-1. Here we demonstrate in 293-EBNA cells overexpressing S662A/S731A-IRS-1 that insulin-stimulated protein kinase B activity is not augmented, whereas without insulin treatment, basal activity is increased compared with that in cells overexpressing wild-type IRS-1. In conclusion, we have shown that 1) potential serine phosphorylation sites on IRS-1, which are adjacent to YXXM binding motifs for PI 3-kinase, negatively regulate binding of IRS-1 to PI 3-kinase regulatory subunits; and 2) these modulations affect protein kinase B activity.

Alanine↗

Insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins IRS-1 and IRS-2 differential signaling in the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-I pathways in fetal brown adipocytes.

In the present study we have investigated the contribution of the insulin receptor substrate proteins (IRS-1 and IRS-2) to the insulin/insulin like growth factor I (IGF-I)-signaling pathways in fetal rat brown adipocytes, a model that expresses both insulin and IGF-I receptors. Insulin/IGF-I rapidly stimulated IRS-1 and IRS-2 tyrosine phosphorylation, their association with p85alpha, and IRS-1- and IRS-2-associated phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase activation to the same extent, the effect of insulin being stronger than the effect of IGF-I at the same physiological dose (10 nM). Furthermore, insulin/IGF-I stimulated IRS-1-associated Grb-2 phosphorylation. However, IRS-2-associated Grb-2 phosphorylation was barely detected. Pull-down experiments with glutathione-S-transferase-fusion proteins containing SH2-domains of p85alpha revealed a strong association between IRS-1 and IRS-2 with p85alpha in response to insulin/IGF-I, the insulin effect being stronger than IGF-I. However, the Grb-2-SH2 domain showed functional differences. While a strong association between IRS-1/Grb-2 was found, IRS-2/Grb-2 association was virtually absent in response to insulin/IGF-I, as also demonstrated in competition studies with a phosphopeptide containing the phosphotyrosine 895 residue within the putative Grb-2-binding domain. Finally, insulin/IGF-I stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the three SHC proteins (46, 52, and 66 kDa). Moreover, insulin/IGF-I markedly increased the amount of Grb-2-associated SHC proteins by the same extent. Our results suggest that both IRS-1 and IRS-2 are required for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activation that leads to adipogenic and thermogenic differentiation of fetal brown adipose tissue; meanwhile, IRS-1 and SHC, but not IRS-2, associate with Grb-2 leading to the ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase-signaling pathway required for fetal brown adipocyte proliferation.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

The IRS-signalling system: a network of docking proteins that mediate insulin action.

New molecules discovered during the past ten years have created a rational framework to understand signalling transduction by a broad range of growth factors and cytokines, including insulin. Insulin action is initiated through the insulin receptor, a transmembrane glycoprotein with intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase activity. The tyrosine kinase mediates the insulin response through tyrosine phosphorylation of various cellular substrates, in particular the IRS-proteins. During insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation, the IRS-proteins mediate a broad biological response by binding and activating various enzymes or adapter molecules. Although we are far from a complete understanding of the insulin signalling system and its failure, enough pieces of the puzzle are falling into place that mechanism-based solutions to insulin resistance encountered with type II diabetes may soon be attainable.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Calmodulin activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.

Calmodulin and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase are vital components of a number of common intracellular events. Calmodulin, a ubiquitous Ca2+-dependent effector protein, regulates multiple processes in eukaryotic cells, including cytoskeletal organization, vesicular trafficking, and mitogenesis. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase participates in events downstream of the receptors for insulin and other growth factors. Here we demonstrate by coimmunoprecipitation and affinity chromatography that Ca2+/calmodulin associates with Src homology 2 domains in the 85-kDa regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, thereby significantly enhancing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity in vitro and in intact cells. Furthermore, CGS9343B, a calmodulin antagonist, inhibited basal and Ca2+-stimulated phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol in intact cells. These data demonstrate a novel mechanism for modulating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and provide a direct link between components of two fundamental signaling pathways.

Animals↗

Heterologous pleckstrin homology domains do not couple IRS-1 to the insulin receptor.

Pleckstrin homology (PH) domains occur in many signaling proteins, including substrates for the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (IRS proteins). Based on the hypothesis that PH domains may have a common function such as membrane targeting we tested the ability of PH domains from other signaling molecules to link IRS-1 to the insulin receptor. Chimeric IRS-1 proteins containing a homologous PH domain derived from other IRS proteins (IRS-2 or Gab-1) were tyrosine phosphorylated normally in response to insulin. In contrast, heterologous PH domains from the beta-adrenergic receptor kinase, phospholipase Cgamma, or spectrin failed to mediate tyrosine phosphorylation of chimeric IRS-1 proteins, even in cells expressing high levels of insulin receptor. Moreover, IRS-1 proteins containing heterologous PH domains did not bind phosphorylated NPEY motifs derived from the insulin receptor, suggesting that the presence of these structures interfered with the function of the adjacent PTB binding domain. Thus, tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 by the insulin receptor specifically requires a PH domain derived from IRS proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The IRS-pathway operates distinctively from the Stat-pathway in hematopoietic cells and transduces common and distinct signals during engagement of the insulin or interferon-alpha receptors.

Binding of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) to its receptor on hematopoietic cells activates the signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat)- and insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-pathways, and regulates expression of antiproliferative and antiviral activities. However, it remains unknown whether these two pathways cooperate in the generation of IFN-alpha responses or function independently, and whether IRS-proteins transduce distinct downstream signals in response to IFNs or insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1-mediated activation. Our data show that in response to IFN-alpha treatment, IRS-1 functions selectively as a docking protein for the SH2 domains of the p85 subunit of the PI 3'-kinase, but not the SH2 domain of Grb-2 which is engaged during insulin/IGF-1 signaling. In studies with THP-1 human myelomonocytic cells and 32D mouse myeloid cells, which are IRS-defective, we found that the IFN-alpha-regulated activation of Stat-1, Stat-2, and Stat-3 does not require the function of the IRS-system. Furthermore, THP-1 cells are responsive to the protective effect of IFN-alpha against vesicular stomatitis virus. Both 32D and THP-1 cells were resistant to the growth inhibitory effect of IFN-alpha, but this effect was not reversible by expression of IRS-1 or IRS-2 alone in 32D cells. Taken altogether these data show that: (1) The IRS-system transduces common and distinct signals in response to IFN-alpha or insulin/lGF-1 stimulation of hematopoietic cells. (2) The IRS-pathway operates separately from the Stat-pathway, and its function is not essential for the generation of the antiviral effect of IFN-alpha. (3) Neither the IRS- nor the Stat-pathways alone are sufficient to mediate the antiproliferative effects of IFN-alpha in hematopoietic cells, and additional signaling elements are required.

Animals↗

Janus kinase-dependent activation of insulin receptor substrate 1 in response to interleukin-4, oncostatin M, and the interferons.

In addition to a role in response to insulin and insulin-like growth factors, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) is phosphorylated in response to IL-4, the interferons (IFNs) and oncostatin M (OSM). Here mutant cell lines lacking JAK1, JAK2, or Tyk2 were used to determine the role(s) of the Janus kinase (JAK) family of protein-tyrosine kinases in IRS-1 phophorylation. 32D cells, which do not express IRS proteins, were analyzed for any requirement for these proteins in response to the IFNs. For the mutant human fibrosarcoma cell lines, phosphorylation of IRS-1 through the insulin-like growth factor receptor is independent of JAK1, JAK2, or Tyk2. In contrast, phosphorylation of IRS-1 mediated by the Type I IFNs, IL-4, and OSM is JAK-dependent. For the alphabeta-IFNs, activation of IRS-1 is dependent on JAK1 and Tyk2, consistent with the interdependence of these kinases in the IFN-alphabeta response. Neither IRS-1 nor IRS-2 was detectably activated by IFN-gamma. Consistent with this, activation of neither IRS proteins appears to be an absolute requirement for an antiproliferative or an antiviral response to the IFNs. For IL-4 and OSM phosphorylation of IRS-1 in the human fibrosarcoma cells is largely dependent on JAK1 but can also be mediated through Tyk2 or JAK2. Activation of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase in response to IL-4 and OSM, at least, was also JAK-dependent. The JAKs are, therefore, required not only for STAT activation but also for the activation, through a variety of different types of cytokine receptor, of an additional signaling pathway(s) through IRS-1 and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase.

Cell Division↗

The 60 kDa insulin receptor substrate functions like an IRS protein (pp60IRS3) in adipose cells.

The 60 kDa insulin receptor substrate in rat adipocytes that binds to the PI-3 kinase displays several functional characteristics in common with the IRS proteins; so we propose the name pp60(IRS3) to distinguish it from other tyrosine phosphorylated proteins of similar size. During insulin stimulation, p85 associated with pp60(IRS3) more rapidly than with IRS-1 or IRS-2. In mice lacking IRS-1, p85 associated more strongly with pp60(IRS3) than with IRS-2, suggesting that pp60(IRS3) provides an alternate pathway in these cells. Synthetic peptides containing two phosphorylated YMPM motifs displace pp60(IRS3) and IRS-1 from alphap85 immune complexes, suggesting that pp60(IRS3), like IRS-1, engages both SH2 domains in p85. Moreover, pp60(IRS3) binds to immobilized peptides containing a phosphorylated NPXY motif, suggesting that it contains a PTB domain with similar specificity to that in IRS-1. The cloning of pp60(IRS3) will reveal a new member of the IRS protein family which mediates insulin receptor signals in a narrow range of tissues.

Adipocytes↗

Recognition and manipulation of branched DNA structure by junction-resolving enzymes.

The junction-resolving enzymes are a class of nucleases that introduce paired cleavages into four-way DNA junctions. They are important in DNA recombination and repair, and are found throughout nature, from eubacteria and their bacteriophages through to higher eukaryotes and their viruses. These enzymes exhibit structure-selective binding to DNA junctions; although cleavage may be more or less sequence-dependent, binding affinity is purely related to the branched structure of the DNA. Binding and cleavage events can be separated for a number of the enzymes by mutagenesis, and mutant proteins that are defective in cleavage while retaining normal junction-selective binding have been isolated. Critical acidic residues have been identified in several resolving enzymes, suggesting a role in the coordination of metal ions that probably deliver the hydrolytic water molecule. The resolving enzymes all bind to junctions in dimeric form, and the subunits introduce independent cleavages within the lifetime of the enzyme-junction complex to ensure resolution of the four-way junction. In addition to recognising the structure of the junction, recent data from four different junction-resolving enzymes indicate that they also manipulate the global structure. In some cases this results in severe distortion of the folded structure of the junction. Understanding the recognition and manipulation of DNA structure by these enzymes is a fascinating challenge in molecular recognition.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Tyr624 and Tyr628 in insulin receptor substrate-2 mediate its association with the insulin receptor.

In addition to the pleckstrin homology domain and the phosphotyrosine binding domain in insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 and IRS-2, a region between amino acids 591 and 786 in IRS-2 (IRS-2-(591-786)) binds to the insulin receptor. Based on peptide competition studies, this region interacts with the phosphorylated regulatory loop of the insulin receptor; we designate this region the kinase regulatory loop binding (KRLB) domain. Two tyrosine residues in the KRLB domain at positions 624 and 628 are crucial for this interaction. Phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in the KRLB domain by the insulin receptor inhibits the binding to the receptor. These results reveal a novel mechanism regulating the interaction of the insulin receptor and IRS-2 that may distinguish the signal of IRS-2 from IRS-1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interaction of p59fyn with interferon-activated Jak kinases.

During IFN alpha stimulation, p59(fyn) associates with the Type I IFNR-associated Tyk-2 kinase in several human hematopoietic cell lines in vivo. This interaction is direct, and is mediated by the SH2 domain in p59(fyn), as shown by binding studies using glutathione-S-transferase fusion proteins and far western blots. Furthermore, in response to IFN alpha-treatment of cells, the SH2 domain of Fyn interacts with the Tyk-2-associated c-cbl proto-oncogene product. In a similar manner, during IFN gamma stimulation, p59(fyn) associates via its SH2 domain with the activated form of the IFN gamma-dependent Jak-2 kinase. These data suggest that p59(fyn) is a common element in IFN alpha and IFN gamma signaling, and is selectively engaged by the Type I or II IFN receptors via specific interactions with distinct Jak kinases.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗