Does Insulin Bind to IGF1R or IGF2R? Understanding Insulin Binding

Insulin primarily binds to the insulin receptor (IR), a receptor tyrosine kinase. It does not bind to the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) or the insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R).

Insulin Dimerization and Hexamer Formation

Insulin can form dimers, a crucial step for binding to the IR and activating signaling pathways. Furthermore, in the presence of zinc ions, insulin molecules assemble into hexamers, the storage form of insulin in pancreatic beta cells.

Insulin Binding to Other Molecules

While insulin's primary binding target is the IR, it can bind to other molecules with lower affinity. These include insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs).

References

Here are some relevant references in BibTeX format:

@article{zhang1992insulin, title={Insulin receptor dimerization in intact cells: evidence for ligand-induced transmembrane receptor cross-linking}, author={Zhang, B and Roth, RA}, journal={Journal of Biological Chemistry}, volume={267}, number={13}, pages={9300--9303}, year={1992}, pubmed={1577766}}

@article{brange1988monomeric, title={Monomeric insulins obtained by protein engineering and their medical implications}, author={Brange, J and Ribel, U and Hansen, JF and Dodson, G and Hansen, MT and Havelund, S and Melberg, SG}, journal={Nature}, volume={333}, number={6174}, pages={679--682}, year={1988}, pubmed={2836734}}

@article{baker1988structure, title={The structure of 2Zn pig insulin crystals at 1.5 A resolution}, author={Baker, EN and Blundell, TL and Cutfield, JF and Cutfield, SM and Dodson, EJ and Dodson, GG and others}, journal={Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences}, volume={319}, number={1194}, pages={369--456}, year={1988}, pubmed={2906911}}

@article{soos1990monoclonal, title={Monoclonal antibodies reacting with multiple epitopes on the human insulin receptor}, author={Soos, MA and Siddle, K and Baron, MD and Heward, JM and Luzio, JP and Bellatin, J and others}, journal={Biochemical Journal}, volume={270}, number={2}, pages={383--390}, year={1990}, pubmed={1691730}}