Structural and functional studies on insulin receptors from alligator brain and liver

Insulin receptors are present in membranes prepared from Alligator mississippiensis brain and liver. The apparent molecular weight (MW) of the alpha subunits are 132 kDa and 118 kDa in liver and brain respectively. Apparent MW of the beta subunit is 92 kDa in both brain and liver receptors. Despite the structural differences between brain and liver alpha subunits, brain insulin receptors demonstrate the normal coupling between alpha and beta subunits, i.e. following binding of insulin to the alpha subunit the beta subunit undergoes autophophorylation and stimulates tyrosine specific phosphorylation of exogenously added substrates. These findings suggest that functional insulin receptors are evolutionarily well conserved.