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Insulin: The Receptor and Signaling Pathways

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Insulin action is mediated through a receptor tyrosine kinase, akin to the IGF-1 receptor. The number of receptors per cell varies significantly, from 40 on erythrocytes to 300,000 on adipocytes and hepatocytes. The insulin receptor consists of linked α/β subunit dimers, forming a heterotetramer glycoprotein with two extracellular α subunits and two β subunits spanning the membrane. The α subunits inhibit the inherent tyrosine kinase activity of the β subunits, but this inhibition is released...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Surgical Bone Implantation Technique for Rat Tibia Models of Diabetes and Osteoporosis

Surgical Bone Implantation Technique for Rat Tibia Models of Diabetes and Osteoporosis

Published on: July 5, 2024

Novel functions for insulin in bone.

Keertik Fulzele¹, Thomas L Clemens

¹Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. kfulzele@partners.org

|July 5, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF) have overlapping roles beyond their traditional functions. Recent findings reveal insulin

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Last Updated: May 31, 2026

Surgical Bone Implantation Technique for Rat Tibia Models of Diabetes and Osteoporosis

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Measuring Bone Remodeling and Recreating the Tumor-Bone Microenvironment Using Calvaria Co-culture and Histomorphometry

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Published on: March 14, 2020

Area of Science:

Endocrinology and Metabolism
Molecular Biology
Physiology

Background:

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and insulin regulate diverse physiological processes, evolving from broad functions in lower animals to more specialized roles in mammals.
The traditional view separates IGFs (cell proliferation, growth) and insulin (fuel metabolism, energy expenditure).
This simplified model overlooks the significant overlap in functions between insulin and IGF-1, particularly in skeletal regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the previously unrecognized skeletal actions of insulin.
To investigate the role of insulin-responsive bone cells in regulating global energy homeostasis.
To understand the fuel sensing and processing mechanisms within bone and their contribution to mammalian energy balance.

Main Methods:

Review of recent studies identifying novel skeletal actions of insulin.
Analysis of the implications of insulin's role in bone for energy homeostasis.
Formulation of questions regarding bone's fuel sensing mechanisms.

Main Results:

Recent research indicates previously unappreciated skeletal actions of insulin.
Insulin-responsive bone cells appear to play a role in regulating overall energy homeostasis.
These findings challenge the simplistic division of labor between insulin and IGFs.

Conclusions:

The established paradigm of insulin and IGF-1 functions requires re-evaluation due to overlapping roles.
Insulin's actions in bone suggest a more integrated role in energy homeostasis than previously understood.
Further research into bone's metabolic functions is crucial for understanding and managing metabolic diseases like diabetes and osteoporosis.