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G M Danielsen

Publications and source records attributed to G M Danielsen.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Properties of small molecules affecting insulin receptor function.

Small molecules with insulin mimetic effects and oral availability are of interest for potential substitution of insulin injections in the treatment of diabetes. We have searched databases for compounds capable of mimicking one epitope of the insulin molecule known to be involved in binding to the insulin receptor (IR). This approach identifies thymolphthalein, which is an apparent weak agonist that displaces insulin from its receptor, stimulates auto- and substrate phosphorylation of IR, and potentiates lipogenesis in adipocytes in the presence of submaximal concentrations of insulin. The various effects are observed in the 10(-5)-10(-3) M range of ligand concentration and result in partial insulin activity. Furthermore, analogues of the related phenol red and fluorescein molecules fully displace insulin from the IR ectodomain, however, without insulin agonistic effects. The interactions are further characterized by NMR, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopies. It is shown that both fluorescence and UV-vis changes in the ligand spectra induced by IR fragments occur with Kd values similar to those obtained in the displacement assay. Nevertheless, insulin itself cannot completely abolish binding of the small molecules. Determination of the binding stoichiometry reveals multiple binding sites for ligands of which one overlaps with the insulin binding site on the receptor.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Identification of insulin domains important for binding to and degradation by endosomal acidic insulinase.

The endosomal compartment of hepatic parenchymal cells contains an acidic endopeptidase, endosomal acidic insulinase (EAI), which hydrolyzes internalized insulin at a limited number of sites. Although the positions of these cleavages are partially known, the residues of insulin important in its binding to and proteolysis by EAI have not been defined. To this end, we have studied the degradation over time of native human insulin and three insulin-analog peptides using a soluble endosomal extract from rat liver parenchyma followed by purification of the products by HPLC and determination of their structure by mass spectrometry. We found variable rates of ligand processing, i.e. high ([Asp(B10)]- and [Glu(A13),Glu(B10)]-insulin), moderate (insulin) and low (the H2-analog). On the basis of IC(50) values, competition studies revealed that human and mutant insulins display nearly equivalent affinity for the EAI. Proteolysis of human and mutant insulins by EAI resulted in eight cleavages in the B-chain which occurred in the central region (Glu(B13)-Leu(B17)) and at the C-terminus (Arg(B22)-Thr(B27)), the latter region comprising the initial cleavages at Phe(B24)-Phe(B25) (major pathway) and Phe(B25)-Tyr(B26) (minor pathway) bonds. Except for the [Glu(A13),Glu(B10)]-insulin mutant, only one cleavage on the A-chain was observed at residues Gln(A15)-Leu(A16). Analysis of the nine cleavage sites showed a preference for hydrophobic and aromatic amino acid residues on both the carboxyl and amino sides of a cleaved peptide bond. Using the B-chain alone as a substrate resulted in a 30-fold increase in affinity for EAI and a 6-fold increase in the rate of hydrolysis compared with native insulin. A similar role for the C-terminal region of the B-chain of insulin in the high-affinity recognition of EAI was supported by the use of the corresponding B(22)-B(30) peptide, which displayed an increase in EAI affinity similar to the entire B-chain vs. wild-type insulin. Thus, we have identified a highly specific molecular interaction of insulin with EAI at the aromatic locus Phe(B24)-Phe(B25)-Tyr(B26). Analytical subfractionation of a postmitochondrial supernatant fraction showed that a pulse of internalized [(125)I]Tyr(A14)-H2-analog, a protease-resistant insulin analog, undergoes a greater lysosomal transfer and lesser degradation than [(125)I]Tyr(A14)-insulin, confirming that endosomal sorting is regulated directly or indirectly by endosomal proteolysis.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Uptake and metabolic fate of [HisA8,HisB4,GluB10,HisB27]insulin in rat liver in vivo.

Receptor-mediated endocytosis and subsequent endosomal proteolysis of [125I]TyrA14-[HisA8,HisB4,GluB10,HisB27]in sulin ([125I]TyrA14-H2 analogue), an insulin analogue exhibiting a high affinity for the insulin receptor, has been studied in liver parenchymal cells by quantitative subcellular fractionation and compared with that of wild-type [125I]TyrA14-insulin. Whereas the kinetics of uptake of the H2 analogue by liver was not different from that of insulin, the H2 analogue radioactivity after the 2 min peak declined significantly more slowly. A significant retention of the H2 analogue compared with insulin in both plasma membrane and endosomal fractions was observed and corresponded to decreased processing and dissociation of the H2 analogue. Cell-free endosomes preloaded in vivo with radiolabelled ligands and incubated in vitro processed insulin and extraluminally released insulin intermediates at a 2-3-fold higher rate than the H2 analogue. In vitro proteolysis of both non-radiolabelled and monoiodinated molecules by endosomal lysates showed a decreased response to the endosomal proteolytic machinery for the H2 analogue. However, in cross-linking and competition studies the H2 analogue exhibited an affinity for insulin-degrading enzyme identical with that of wild-type insulin. Brij-35-permeabilized endosomes revealed a 2-fold higher rate of dissociation of insulin from internalized receptors compared with the H2 analogue. After the administration of a saturating dose of both ligands, a rapid and reversible ligand-induced translocation of insulin receptor was observed, but without receptor loss. The H2 analogue induced a higher receptor concentration and tyrosine autophosphorylation of the receptor beta subunit in endosomes. Moreover, a prolonged temporal interaction of the in vivo injected H2 analogue with receptor was observed by direct binding assays performed on freshly prepared subcellular fractions. These results indicate that endosomal proteolysis for the H2 analogue is slowed as a result of an increased residence time of the analogue on the insulin receptor and a low affinity of endosomal acidic insulinase for the dissociated H2 molecule.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Sustained signalling from the insulin receptor after stimulation with insulin analogues exhibiting increased mitogenic potency.

The metabolic and mitogenic potencies of six different insulin analogues were determined by measuring glucose transport in primary adipocytes and DNA synthesis in CHO cells respectively. Three analogues showed a disproportionately high mitogenic potency compared with their metabolic potency, and were up to 7 times more mitogenically than metabolically potent when compared with human insulin. The mitogenic/metabolic potency ratio of the analogues was found to be inversely correlated with the insulin receptor dissociation rate constant (Kd) in an exponential fashion (r=0.99), with a disproportionately greater increase in mitogenic potential compared with metabolic potential for analogues with Kd values of less than 40% of that of human insulin. To investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the correlation between the increased half-life of the receptor-ligand complex (low Kd) and mitogenicity, 3 h time-course experiments were performed. Slow ligand dissociation from the insulin receptor induced a parallel sustained activation of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. A similar pattern was observed for insulin receptor autophosphorylation and Shc phosphorylation, whereas the duration of insulin receptor substrate-1 phosphorylation with low-Kd analogues and with insulin was similar Thus the increased half-life of the ligand-receptor complex induces sustained activation of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase and sustained phosphorylation of Shc, which may be the cause of the disproportionately high mitogenic potency seen for some insulin analogues.

Animals↗