Insulin-like growth factor I receptors in retinal rod outer segments

We have previously reported that the GDP-bound alpha-subunit of the GTP-binding protein transducin, present in outer segments of retinal rod cells (ROS), serves as a high affinity in vitro substrate (Km = 1 microM) for the insulin receptor kinase. The present study demonstrates that transducin also serves as in vitro substrate for an endogenous IGF-I receptor kinase isolated from ROS membranes. The presence of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) receptors in ROS is evident from the high affinity and specific binding of 125I-IGF-I to ROS membranes (Kd = 3 nM) which contain 110 fmol of IGF-I binding sites/mg of membrane protein. Furthermore, cross-linking of 125I-IGF-I labels the 135-kDa alpha-subunit of this receptor. 125I-Insulin binding capacity to ROS membranes is less than 5% that of IGF-I. The IGF-I-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity in solubilized and partially purified receptors from ROS autophosphorylates its own 95-kDa beta-subunits as well as other substrates like transducin. Insulin, which is 200-fold less potent than IGF-I in competing for 125I-IGF-I binding, is only 5-fold less potent than IGF-I in stimulating the receptor kinase activity. This suggests that insulin is much more potent than IGF-I in coupling ligand binding with kinase activation. The previously reported presence of IGF-I in the vitreous, together with our present studies, strongly suggest that the IGF-I receptor kinase, through phosphorylation of endogenous proteins like transducin, could play a role in mediating transmembrane signal transduction in ROS.