F
IPR004825

Insulin

InterPro entry
Short nameInsulin
Overlapping
homologous
superfamilies
 
family relationships

Description

The insulin family of proteins groups together several evolutionarily related active peptides
[7]
: these include insulin
[6, 8]
, relaxin
[4, 1]
, insect prothoracicotropic hormone (bombyxin)
[3]
, insulin-like growth factors (IGF1 and IGF2)
[9, 2]
, mammalian Leydig cell-specific insulin-like peptide (gene INSL3), early placenta insulin-like peptide (ELIP) (gene INSL4), locust insulin-related peptide (LIRP), molluscan insulin-related peptides (MIP), and Caenorhabditis elegans insulin-like peptides. The 3D structures of a number of family members have been determined
[9, 2, 5]
. The fold comprises two polypeptide chains (A and B) linked by two disulphide bonds: all share a conserved arrangement of 4 cysteines in their A chain, the first of which is linked by a disulphide bond to the third, while the second and fourth are linked by interchain disulphide bonds to cysteines in the B chain.

Insulin is found in many animals, and is involved in the regulation of normal glucose homeostasis. It also has other specific physiological effects, such as increasing the permeability of cells to monosaccharides, amino acids and fatty acids, and accelerating glycolysis and glycogen synthesis in the liver
[6]
. Insulin exerts its effects by interaction with a cell-surface receptor, which may also result in the promotion of cell growth
[6]
.

References

1.Expression of human relaxin genes: characterization of a novel alternatively-spliced human relaxin mRNA species. Gunnersen JM, Fu P, Roche PJ, Tregear GW. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 118, 85-94, (1996). View articlePMID: 8735594

2.1H-NMR assignment and secondary structure of human insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in solution. Sato A, Nishimura S, Ohkubo T, Kyogoku Y, Koyama S, Kobayashi M, Yasuda T, Kobayashi Y. J. Biochem. 111, 529-36, (1992). PMID: 1319992

3.Multiple gene copies for bombyxin, an insulin-related peptide of the silkmoth Bombyx mori: structural signs for gene rearrangement and duplication responsible for generation of multiple molecular forms of bombyxin. Kondo H, Ino M, Suzuki A, Ishizaki H, Iwami M. J. Mol. Biol. 259, 926-37, (1996). View articlePMID: 8683595

4.Analysis of the 5'-upstream regions of the human relaxin H1 and H2 genes and their chromosomal localization on chromosome 9p24.1 by radiation hybrid and breakpoint mapping. Garibay-Tupas JL, Csiszar K, Fox M, Povey S, Bryant-Greenwood GD. J. Mol. Endocrinol. 23, 355-65, (1999). View articlePMID: 10601981

5.A model of insulin fibrils derived from the x-ray crystal structure of a monomeric insulin (despentapeptide insulin). Brange J, Dodson GG, Edwards DJ, Holden PH, Whittingham JL. Proteins 27, 507-16, (1997). View articlePMID: 9141131

6.Sequence of the human insulin gene. Bell GI, Pictet RL, Rutter WJ, Cordell B, Tischer E, Goodman HM. Nature 284, 26-32, (1980). View articlePMID: 6243748

7.Hormone families: pancreatic hormones and homologous growth factors. Blundell TL, Humbel RE. Nature 287, 781-7, (1980). View articlePMID: 6107857

8.Nucleotide sequence of a cDNA clone encoding human preproinsulin. Bell GI, Swain WF, Pictet R, Cordell B, Goodman HM, Rutter WJ. Nature 282, 525-7, (1979). View articlePMID: 503234

9.Solution structure of human insulin-like growth factor 1: a nuclear magnetic resonance and restrained molecular dynamics study. Cooke RM, Harvey TS, Campbell ID. Biochemistry 30, 5484-91, (1991). View articlePMID: 2036417

GO terms

biological process

  • None

Cross References

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