title: Some thoughts on the mechanism of action of insulin.
abstract: Proposed mechanisms by which insulin exerts its effects are discussed. Evidence for a role for the tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor and of a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cascade is presented. The possible roles of phospholipid breakdown, diacylglycerol, and protein kinase C are discussed. The hypothesis that insulin elicits the hydrolysis of a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol to form a mediator of certain of its actions is considered in detail. The evidence that a G protein is involved in insulin action is analyzed.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-0295.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Exton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011972:Receptor, Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D010743:Phospholipids; D011972:Receptor, Insulin; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins