Endocrinology, Vol 125, 1438-1450, Copyright © 1989 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of a 195K protein from muscle and liver in the presence of poly-L-lysine

K Komori, NE Block, KA Robinson and MG Buse
Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425-2222.

Substrates of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase have not been identified in skeletal muscle, a major target organ of insulin action. We observed the insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of a 195K protein (pp195) in extracts prepared from rat skeletal muscle and liver. pp195 copurifies with the insulin receptor on wheat germ agglutinin affinity chromatography. pp195 is not related to the insulin receptor, as assessed by lack of recognition by antinsulin receptor antibodies and by phosphopeptide mapping. Reduction of sulfhydryl bonds does not affect its apparent mol wt. Phosphorylation of pp195 has an absolute requirement in vitro for Mn2+ or Mg2+ and for certain basic poly-amino acids, i.e. poly-L-lysine or poly-L-ornithine. In the presence of 1 microM poly-L-lysine insulin stimulates pp195 phosphorylation in a dose- dependent manner (k0.5, approximately 5 x 10(-10) M; maximum approximately 10(-8) M insulin); pp195 phosphorylation by insulin-like growth factor-I requires about 100-fold higher doses. By phosphoamino acid analysis, pp195 is predominantly phosphorylated on tyrosine, and it is recognized by antiphosphotyrosine antibodies. Insulin receptors isolated from rat muscles 5 min after insulin injection induce about 2- fold greater phosphorylation of pp195 in vitro than receptors isolated from saline-injected controls. Streptozotocin-induced diabetes results in marked diminution of insulin-stimulated pp195 phosphorylation in extracts of muscle and liver (approximately 50% when normalized to protein content of wheat germ agglutinin eluates or approximately 80% reduction when normalized to equal receptor number). The defect is reversible by insulin therapy in vivo.