Mutant Insulin Research Articles

433 NEW TRANSGENIC PIG DIABETES MODEL EXPRESSING THE MUTANT Insulinc93S FOR THE STUDY OF THE PANCREATIC BETA CELL DYSFUNCTION

We previously established a mutant mouse line showing diabetes which was caused by a point mutation in the Insulin 2 (Ins2) gene. The point mutation leads to the amino acid exchange C95S and the loss of the A6-A11 intrachain disulfide bond of insulin. Male heterozygous Ins2C95S mutant mice develop progressive diabetes mellitus with strong reduction of the total pancreatic islet volume and the total beta cell volume together with severe alterations of the beta cell structure. As pigs share many anatomical and physiological characteristics with humans, we aimed to establish a transgenic pig model expressing the mutant insulin by additive gene transfer for the subsequent study of beta cell dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. The transgene consisted of German Landrace insulin sequences including 1.3 kb of the insulin promoter and 1 kb insulin gene sequences with the 3 exons and the T to A (C93S) point mutation in exon 3 analogous to the mutant mouse insulin. A floxed neomycin resistance gene at the 3′ end of the transgene was used as a selection marker. After successful transfection of male fetal fibroblasts of both the German Landrace and the Schwaebisch- Haellisch pig breeds, pooled transgenic fibroblasts were used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Five hundred three reconstructed pig embryos were generated and endoscopically transferred to 5 synchronized recipients. One pregnancy with German Landrace genetic background and one pregnancy with Schwaebisch-Haellisch genetic background of the cloned embryos developed to term, which gave rise to 3 living offspring from each of the 2 pregnancies; 5 of the 6 piglets were transgenic. Southern blot analysis showed different transgene signal patterns in all animals examined. Transgenic pigs of both litters revealed unaltered fasting blood glucose levels up to an age of 8 months. However, disturbed intravenous glucose tolerance and reduced insulin secretion were detected in 1 transgenic pig of the first litter at 8 months of age. The area under the glucose curve of this transgenic pig was 75% larger (22 136 v. 12617) and the area under the insulin curve 53% smaller (1250 v. 2670) compared with the control. Ongoing analyses comprise glucose tolerance tests in the second litter as well as pathohistologic analysis of the pancreata of both litters. Cells from suitable transgenic founders will be used for recloning to establish a new transgenic pig model expressing the mutant InsulinC93S for an in-depth study of pancreatic beta cell dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GRK1029).

In vitro processing and secretion of mutant insulin proteins that cause permanent neonatal diabetes

Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus is a rare form of insulin-requiring diabetes presenting within the first few weeks or months of life. Mutations in the insulin gene are the second most common cause of this form of diabetes. These mutations are located in critical regions of preproinsulin and are likely to prevent normal processing or folding of the preproinsulin/proinsulin molecule. To characterize these mutations, we transiently expressed proinsulin-GFP fusion proteins in MIN6 mouse insulinoma cells. Our study revealed three groups of mutant proteins: 1) mutations that result in retention of proinsulin in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and attenuation of secretion of cotransfected wild-type insulin: C43G, F48C, and C96Y; 2) mutations with partial ER retention, partial recruitment to granules, and attenuation of secretion of wild-type insulin: G32R, G32S, G47V, G90C, and Y108C; and 3) similar to (2) but with no significant attenuation of wild-type insulin secretion: A24D and R89C. The mutant insulin proteins do not prevent targeting of wild-type insulin to secretory granules, but most appear to lead to decreased secretion of wild-type insulin. Each of the mutants triggers the expression of the proapoptotic gene Chop, indicating the presence of ER stress.

The human insulin gene and diabetes mellitus.

The recombinant DNA technology is a useful tool to characterize the insulin gene and adjacent areas. A highly polymorphic region near the human insulin gene was detected and its possible relation to certain types of diabetes mellitus is discussed. In three cases the synthesis of a structurally abnormal insulin of lower biological activity leads to hyperglycemia. These mutant insulin gene sequences can be identified with the help of restriction endonuclease cleavage analysis. Insulin gene expression is regulated mainly at translational level. Elements near or within the insulin gene seem to be required for a sufficient and cell-specific expression. But the role of the polymorphic locus is not yet clear. First results on gene transplantation by administration of liposome entrapped insulin gene sequences are surprising, but at this time only of speculative value for medical research.

O-10: Mutant insulin receptors Arg1174Gln and Pro1178Leu — naturally occurring insulin receptor mutations as tools in the dissection of insulin signal transduction pathways

O-10: Mutant insulin receptors Arg1174Gln and Pro1178Leu — naturally occurring insulin receptor mutations as tools in the dissection of insulin signal transduction pathways

Insulin resistance and increased pancreatic β-cell proliferation in mice expressing a mutant insulin receptor (P1195L)

Several mutations of the tyrosine kinase domain of insulin receptor (IR) have been clinically reported to lead insulin resistance and insulin hypersecretion in humans. However, it has not been completely clarified how insulin resistance and pancreatic beta-cell function affect each other under the expression of mutant IR. We investigated the response of pancreatic beta-cells in mice carrying a mutation (P1195L) in the tyrosine kinase domain of IR beta-subunit. Homozygous (Ir(P1195L/P1195L)) mice showed severe ketoacidosis and died within 2 days after birth, and heterozygous (Ir(P1195L/wt)) mice showed normal levels of plasma glucose, but high levels of plasma insulin in the fasted state and after glucose loading, and a reduced response of plasma glucose lowering effect to exogenously administered insulin compared with wild type (Ir(wt/wt)) mice. There were no differences in the insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-2 expression and its phosphorylation levels in the liver between Ir(P1195L/wt) and Ir(wt/wt) mice, both before and after insulin injection. This result may indicate that IRS-2 signaling is not changed in Ir(P1195L/wt) mice. The beta-cell mass increased due to the increased numbers of beta-cells in Ir(P1195L/wt) mice. More proliferative beta-cells were observed in Ir(P1195L/wt) mice, but the number of apoptotic beta-cells was almost the same as that in Ir(wt/wt) mice, even after streptozotocin treatment. These data suggest that, in Ir(P1195L/wt) mice, normal levels of plasma glucose were maintained due to high levels of plasma insulin resulting from increased numbers of beta-cells, which in turn was due to increased beta-cell proliferation rather than decreased beta-cell apoptosis.

Mutational Analysis of the Absolutely Conserved B8Gly: Consequence on Foldability and Activity of Insulin

B8Gly is absolutely conserved in insulins during evolution. Moreover, its corresponding position is always occupied by a Gly residue in other members of insulin superfamily. Previous work showed that Ala replacement of B8Gly significantly decreased both the activity and the foldability of insulin. However, the effects of substitution are complicated, and different replacements sometimes cause significantly different results. To analyze the effects of B8 replacement by different amino acids, three new insulin/single-chain insulin mutants with B8Gly replaced by Ser, Thr or Leu were prepared by protein engineering, and both their foldability and activity were analyzed. In general, replacement of B8Gly by other amino acids causes significant detriment to the foldability of single-chain insulin: the conformations of the three B8 mutants are essentially different from that of wild-type molecules as revealed by circular dichroism; their disulfide stabilities in redox buffer are significantly decreased; their in vitro refolding efficiencies are decreased approximately two folds; the structural stabilities of the mutants with Ser or Thr substitution are decreased significantly, while Leu substitution has little effect as measured by equilibrium guanidine denaturation. As far as biological activity is concerned, Ser replacement of B8Gly has only a moderate effect: its insulin receptor-binding activity is 23% of native insulin. But Thr or Leu replacement produces significant detriment: the receptor-binding potencies of the two mutants are less than 0.2% of native insulin. The present results suggest that Gly is likely the only applicable natural amino acid for the B8 position of insulin where both foldability and activity are concerned.

Thermal Dissociation and Unfolding of Insulin

The thermal stability of human insulin was studied by differential scanning microcalorimetry and near-UV circular dichroism as a function of zinc/protein ratio, to elucidate the dissociation and unfolding processes of insulin in different association states. Zinc-free insulin, which is primarily dimeric at room temperature, unfolded at approximately 70 degrees C. The two monomeric insulin mutants Asp(B28) and Asp(B9),Glu(B27) unfolded at higher temperatures, but with enthalpies of unfolding that were approximately 30% smaller. Small amounts of zinc caused a biphasic thermal denaturation pattern of insulin. The biphasic denaturation is caused by a redistribution of zinc ions during the heating process and results in two distinct transitions with T(m)'s of approximately 70 and approximately 87 degrees C corresponding to monomer/dimer and hexamer, respectively. At high zinc concentrations (>or=5 Zn(2+) ions/hexamer), only the hexamer transition is observed. The results of this study show that the thermal stability of insulin is closely linked to the association state and that the zinc hexamer remains stable at much higher temperatures than the monomer. This is in contrast to studies with chemical denaturants where it has been shown that monomer unfolding takes place at much higher denaturant concentrations than the dissociation of higher oligomers [Ahmad, A., et al. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 14999-15013].

Endoplasmic reticulum stress induces Wfs1 gene expression in pancreatic β-cells via transcriptional activation

The WFS1 gene encodes an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane-embedded protein. Homozygous WFS1 gene mutations cause Wolfram syndrome, characterized by insulin-deficient diabetes mellitus and optic atropy. Pancreatic beta-cells are selectively lost from the patient's islets. ER localization suggests that WFS1 protein has physiological functions in membrane trafficking, secretion, processing and/or regulation of ER calcium homeostasis. Disturbances or overloading of these functions induces ER stress responses, including apoptosis. We speculated that WFS1 protein might be involved in these ER stress responses. Islet expression of the Wfs1 protein was analyzed immunohistochemically. Induction of Wfs1 upon ER stress was examined by Northern and Western blot analyses using three different models: human skin fibroblasts, mouse pancreatic beta-cell-derived MIN6 cells, and Akita mouse-derived Ins2 (96Y/Y) insulinoma cells. The human WFS1 gene promoter-luciferase reporter analysis was also conducted. Islet beta-cells were the major site of Wfs1 expression. This expression was also found in delta-cells, but not in alpha-cells. WFS1 expression was transcriptionally up-regulated by ER stress-inducing chemical insults. Treatment of fibroblasts and MIN6 cells with thapsigargin or tunicamycin increased WFS1 mRNA. WFS1 protein also increased in response to thapsigargin treatment in these cells. WFS1 gene expression was also increased in Ins2 (96Y/Y) insulinoma cells. In these cells, ER stress was intrinsically induced by mutant insulin expression. The WFS1 gene promoter-luciferase reporter system revealed that the human WFS1 promoter was activated by chemically induced ER stress in MIN6 cells, and that the promoter was more active in Ins2 (96Y/Y) cells than Ins2 (wild/wild) cells. Wfs1 expression, which is localized to beta- and delta-cells in pancreatic islets, increases in response to ER stress, suggesting a functional link between Wfs1 and ER stress.

Diabetes-Associated Mutations in Human Insulin: Crystal Structure and Photo-Cross-Linking Studies of A-Chain Variant InsulinWakayama,

Naturally occurring mutations in insulin associated with diabetes mellitus identify critical determinants of its biological activity. Here, we describe the crystal structure of insulin Wakayama, a clinical variant in which a conserved valine in the A chain (residue A3) is substituted by leucine. The substitution occurs within a crevice adjoining the classical receptor-binding surface and impairs receptor binding by 500-fold, an unusually severe decrement among mutant insulins. To resolve whether such decreased activity is directly or indirectly mediated by the variant side chain, we have determined the crystal structure of Leu(A3)-insulin and investigated the photo-cross-linking properties of an A3 analogue containing p-azidophenylalanine. The structure, characterized in a novel crystal form as an R(6) zinc hexamer at 2.3 A resolution, is essentially identical to that of the wild-type R(6) hexamer. The variant side chain remains buried in a nativelike crevice with small adjustments in surrounding side chains. The corresponding photoactivatable analogue, although of low affinity, exhibits efficient cross-linking to the insulin receptor. The site of photo-cross-linking lies within a 14 kDa C-terminal domain of the alpha-subunit. This domain, unrelated in sequence to the major insulin-binding region in the N-terminal L1 beta-helix, is also contacted by photoactivatable probes at positions A8 and B25. Packing of Val(A3) at this interface may require a conformational change in the B chain to expose the A3-related crevice. The structure of insulin Wakayama thus evokes the reasoning of Sherlock Holmes in "the curious incident of the dog in the night": the apparent absence of structural perturbations (like the dog that did not bark) provides a critical clue to the function of a hidden receptor-binding surface.

Deficiency of ATP2C1, a Golgi Ion Pump, Induces Secretory Pathway Defects in Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-associated Degradation and Sensitivity to ER Stress

Relatively few clues have been uncovered to elucidate the cell biological role(s) of mammalian ATP2C1 encoding an inwardly directed secretory pathway Ca2+/Mn2+ pump that is ubiquitously expressed. Deficiency of ATP2C1 results in a human disease (Hailey-Hailey), which primarily affects keratinocytes. ATP2C1-encoded protein is detected in the Golgi complex in a calcium-dependent manner. A small interfering RNA causes knockdown of ATP2C1 expression, resulting in defects in both post-translational processing of wild-type thyroglobulin (a secretory glycoprotein) as well as endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation of mutant thyroglobulin, whereas degradation of a nonglycosylated misfolded secretory protein substrate appears unaffected. Knockdown of ATP2C1 is not associated with elevated steady state levels of ER chaperone proteins, nor does it block cellular activation of either the PERK, ATF6, or Ire1/XBP1 portions of the ER stress response. However, deficiency of ATP2C1 renders cells hypersensitive to ER stress. These data point to the important contributions of the Golgi-localized ATP2C1 protein in homeostatic maintenance throughout the secretory pathway.

Glycoinsulins: Dendritic Sialyloligosaccharide-Displaying Insulins Showing a Prolonged Blood-Sugar-Lowering Activity

Mono-, di-, and trisialyloligosaccharides were introduced to mutant insulins through enzymatic reactions. Sugar chains were sialylated by alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (alpha2,6-SiaT) via an accessible glutamine residue at the N-terminus of the B-chain attached by transglutaminase (TGase). Sia2,6-di-LacNAc-Ins(B-F1Q) and Sia2,6-tri-LacNAc-Ins(B-F1Q), displaying two and three sialyl-N-acetyllactosamines, respectively, were administered to hyperglycemic mice. Both branched glycoinsulins showed prolonged glucose-lowering effects compared to native or lactose-carrying insulins, showing that sialic acid is important in obtaining a prolonged effect. Sia2,6-tri-LacNAc-Ins(B-F1Q), in particular, induced a significant delay in the recovery of glucose levels.

High ER stress in β-cells stimulates intracellular degradation of misfolded insulin

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is caused by the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER, elicits an adaptive response, the unfolded protein response (UPR). One component of the UPR, the endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation (ERAD) system, has an important function in the survival of ER stressed cells. Here, we show that HRD1, a component of the ERAD system, is upregulated in pancreatic islets of the Akita diabetes mouse model and enhances intracellular degradation of misfolded insulin. High ER stress in β-cells stimulated mutant insulin degradation through HRD1 to protect β-cells from ER stress and ensuing death. If HRD1 serves the same function in humans, it may serve as a target for therapeutic intervention in diabetes.

Altered ionization of the B13 Glu in insulin B9 and B10 mutants: a computational analysis.

An experimentally determined pK(a) change of +2.50 units has been reported for the B13 Glu residue in a dimeric B9 Ser --> Asp insulin mutant relative to the native dimer. Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatics-based pK(a) calculations were performed to probe the effect of the B9 Ser --> Asp and B10 His --> Asp mutations on aggregation and the ionization behaviour of the B13 carboxylate. The method produced shifts of +2.64 and +2.45 units for the pK(a) shift of the two B13 residues in the B9 mutant dimer relative to the wild-type dimer, which is in good agreement with the experimental value (<6% error). The calculations also suggest that the reason neither mutant insulin can aggregate into hexamers is the resultant crowding of negatively charged groups in the central solvent channel on hexamer formation. In the wild-type insulin, binding of zinc ions by B10 His overcomes this problem, whereas in the B10 mutant this possibility is ruled out by the absence of the zinc binding site. A series of mutations are predicted to stabilize the medically relevant, monomeric form of insulin.

Proreceptor Dimerization Is Required for Insulin Receptor Post-translational Processing

The insulin receptor is a transmembrane protein dimer composed of two alphabeta monomers held together by inter-alpha-chain disulfide bonds. In a previous report we described a monomeric insulin receptor obtained by replacing Cys-524, -682, -683, and -685 with serine. The membrane-bound monomeric insulin receptors could be cross-linked to dimers in the presence of insulin, indicating that although covalent interactions had been abolished, noncovalent dimerization could still occur in the membrane. To eliminate noncovalent dimerization, we replaced all or some of Cys-524, -682, -683, and -685 with arginine or aspartic acid with the expectation that the electrostatic repulsion at these contact sites would prevent noncovalent dimerization. The results indicate that mutant insulin receptors that are able to form covalent dimers are expressed at the wild type level; mutants that can form noncovalent dimers are expressed at half the level of the wild type receptor, whereas insulin receptor mutants that cannot dimerize are expressed at less than 10% of the wild type level. To elucidate the mechanism of the decrease in expression of the mutant insulin receptors, we examined their subcellular localization and biosynthesis. The results suggest that the extent of expression of these mutant receptors is related to their ability to form covalent or noncovalent dimers at the proreceptor stage.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS-1) and SOCS-3 cause insulin resistance through inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate proteins by discrete mechanisms.

Insulin resistance is a pathophysiological component of type 2 diabetes and obesity and also occurs in states of stress, infection, and inflammation associated with an upregulation of cytokines. Here we show that in both obesity and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia there is an increase in suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins, SOCS-1 and SOCS-3, in liver, muscle, and, to a lesser extent, fat. In concordance with these increases by LPS, tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor (IR) is partially impaired and phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins is almost completely suppressed. Direct overexpression of SOCS-3 in liver by adenoviral-mediated gene transfer markedly decreases tyrosine phosphorylation of both IRS-1 and IRS-2, while SOCS-1 overexpression preferentially inhibits IRS-2 phosphorylation. Neither affects IR phosphorylation, although both SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 bind to the insulin receptor in vivo in an insulin-dependent fashion. Experiments with cultured cells expressing mutant insulin receptors reveal that SOCS-3 binds to Tyr960 of IR, a key residue for the recognition of IRS-1 and IRS-2, whereas SOCS-1 binds to the domain in the catalytic loop essential for IRS-2 recognition in vitro. Moreover, overexpression of either SOCS-1 or SOCS-3 attenuates insulin-induced glycogen synthesis in L6 myotubes and activation of glucose uptake in 3T3L1 adipocytes. By contrast, a reduction of SOCS-1 or SOCS-3 by antisense treatment partially restores tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced downregulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS proteins in 3T3L1 adipocytes. These data indicate that SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 act as negative regulators in insulin signaling and serve as one of the missing links between insulin resistance and cytokine signaling.

Interaction of the retinal insulin receptor beta-subunit with the p85 subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase.

Recently, we have shown that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) in retina is regulated in vivo through light activation of the insulin receptor beta-subunit. In this study, we have cloned the 41 kDa cytoplasmic region of the retinal insulin receptor (IRbeta) and used the two-hybrid assay of protein-protein interaction in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to demonstrate the interaction between the p85 subunit of PI3K and the cytoplasmic region of IRbeta. Under conditions where IRbeta autophosphorylates, substitution of Y1322F and M1325P in IRbeta resulted in the abolition of p85 binding to the IRbeta, confirming that the p85 subunit of PI3K binds to Y1322. The binding site for p85 on IRbeta was also confirmed in the yeast three-hybrid system. Using the C-terminal region of IRbeta (amino acids 1293-1343 encompassing the YHTM motif) as bait and supplying an exogenous tyrosine kinase gene to yeast cells, we determined that the IRbeta-pYTHM motif interacts with p85. We also used retinal organ cultures to demonstrate insulin activation of the insulin receptor and subsequent binding of p85, measured through GST pull-down assays with p85 fusion proteins. Further, the Y960F mutant insulin receptor, which does not bind IRS-1, is capable of bringing down PI3K activity from retina lysates. On the other hand, in response to insulin, IRS-2 is able to interact with the p85 subunit of PI3K in the retina. These results suggest that multiple signaling pathways could regulate the PI3K activity and subsequent activation of Akt in the retina.

Insulin inhibition of protein degradation in cells expressing wild-type and mutant insulin receptors.

The mechanism by which insulin decreases protein degradation is unknown. We examined insulin binding and degradation (125I[A14]insulin) and protein degradation (3H-leucine labeling) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with wild-type (WI) and mutant human insulin receptors. The deltaExon-16 mutant is missing the juxtamembrane domain that mediates endocytosis. The delta343 mutant receptor lacks the tyrosine kinase structural domain but retains the juxtamembrane internalization domain. The mutant deltaNPEY lacks the single NPEY sequence located 16 residues after the end of the transmembrane domain. Null transfected cells (NEO) not expressing human receptors were studied as controls. The WT and deltaNPEY cells equivalently internalized and degraded insulin; delta343 cells internalized and degraded insulin, but at a reduced rate; deltaExon-16 cells internalized and degraded significantly less insulin than the other mutants; NEO cells showed essentially no internalization and degradation. In contrast, all cell types showed the same efficacy at inhibition of protein degradation, albeit at different potencies. These results suggest insulin actions are mediated by multiple and redundant effector systems, but that receptor tyrosine kinase activity is not required for inhibition of protein degradation.

Impact of endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway on pancreatic beta-cells and diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes is caused by impaired insulin secretion in pancreatic beta-cells and peripheral insulin resistance. Overload of pancreatic beta-cells leads to beta-cell exhaustion and finally to the development of diabetes. Reduced beta-cell mass is evident in type 2 diabetes, and apoptosis is implicated in this process. One characteristic feature of beta-cells is highly developed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) due to a heavy engagement in insulin secretion. The ER serves several important functions, including post-translational modification, folding, and assembly of newly synthesized secretory proteins, and its proper function is essential to cell survival. Various conditions can interfere with ER function and these conditions are called ER stress. Recently, we found that nitric oxide (NO)-induced apoptosis in beta-cells is mediated by the ER-stress pathway. NO causes ER stress and leads to apoptosis through induction of ER stress-associated apoptosis factor CHOP. The Akita mouse with a missense mutation (Cys96Tyr) in the insulin 2 gene has hyperglycemia and a reduced beta-cell mass. This mutation disrupts a disulfide bond between A and B chains of insulin and may induce its conformational change. In the development of diabetes in Akita mice, mRNAs for an ER chaperone Bip and CHOP were induced in the pancreas. Overexpression of the mutant insulin in mouse MIN6 beta-cells induced CHOP expression and led to apoptosis. Targeted disruption of the CHOP gene did not delay the onset of diabetes in the homozygous Akita mice, but it protected islet cells from apoptosis and delayed the onset of diabetes in the heterozygous Akita mice. We conclude that ER overload in beta-cells causes ER stress and leads to apoptosis via CHOP induction. These results highlight the importance of chronic ER stress in beta-cell apoptosis in type 2 diabetes, and suggest a new target to the management of the disease.

Gene expression in human cells with mutant insulin receptors

Insulin initiates its action by interacting with specific receptors on the plasma membrane of target cells. Mutations in these receptors cause the inherited insulin-resistant syndrome leprechaunism. Affected patients have severe intrauterine and post-natal growth restriction coupled with severe metabolic abnormalities. Fibroblasts from patients with leprechaunism have impaired in vitro growth, reflecting the growth restriction seen it in vivo. To determine the reason for the defective growth of cells from patients with mutant insulin receptors, gene expression was compared among fibroblasts from controls and patients with leprechaunism using DNA microarrays. Of the 12,626 human genes tested, cells from patients with leprechaunism had consistently increased mRNA for 151 genes and decreased mRNA for 51 genes. The level of expression of selected genes was independently confirmed by real time RT-PCR. Leprechaun cells had increased expression of several genes involved in metabolic functions, several of which were not previously known to be regulated by the insulin receptor. The absence of insulin receptors modified the expression of genes controlling apoptosis and cellular growth. Functional analysis indicated that cells from patients with leprechaunism had a normal response to apoptotic stimuli when mitochondrial potential and caspase activity were assayed. About 20% of the genes whose RNA was decreased in leprechaun cells coded for proteins involved in cell growth and differentiation. These results suggest that the insulin receptor is a physiologic regulator of several genes involved in intermediate metabolism even in human fibroblasts. Decreased expression of growth-promoting genes may explain the growth restriction of patients with severe insulin resistance.

Behavior in the Eukaryotic Secretory Pathway of Insulin-containing Fusion Proteins and Single-chain Insulins Bearing Various B-chain Mutations

In the secretory pathway, endoproteolytic cleavage of the insulin precursor protein promotes a change in the biophysical properties of the processed insulin product, and this may be relevant for its intracellular trafficking. We have now studied several independent point mutants contained within the insulin B-chain, S9D, H10D, V12E (called B9D, B10D, and B12E), as well as the double point mutant P28K,K29P (B28K,B29P), that have been reported to inhibit insulin oligomerization. In yeast cells, the unprocessed precursor of each of these mutants is secreted, whereas >90% of the endoproteolytically released single-chain insulin moiety is retained intracellularly; a large portion of the B9D, B10D, and B12E single-chain insulins exhibit abnormally slow mobility upon nonreducing SDS-PAGE, despite normal mobility upon reducing SDS-PAGE. Although no free thiols can be detected, each of these mutants exhibits increased disulfide accessibility to dithiothreitol. After dithiothreitol treatment, a portion of the molecules can reoxidize to a form more compact than the original single-chain insulin mutants formed in vivo (indicating initial disulfide mispairing). Disulfide mispairing of a fraction of B9D, B10D, and B12E mutants also occurs in the context of single-chain insulin and even in authentic proinsulin expressed within the secretory pathway of mammalian cells. We conclude that analyses of the intracellular trafficking of certain oligomerization-defective insulin mutants is complicated by the formation of disulfide isomers in the secretory pathway.