The interactions of proinsulin with the insulin-specific receptors were investigated in purified rat liver plasma membranes. These studies were designed to characterize the binding of proinsulin to the insulin receptors, to search for proinsulin-specific receptor sites, and to examine the possibility of proinsulin conversion at the insulin receptor site. Proinsulin was only 3-5% as potent as insulin in binding to insulin receptors. Proinsulin reacted with all of the insulin-specific receptors, and direct binding studies of [125I]porcine proinsulin and [125I]rat proinsulin did not reveal proinsulin-specific receptor sites other than the insulin receptors in rat liver membranes.
Pierre Freychet
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