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Insulin sends signals to cells via two receptors

Insulin has many functions in the body and affects the activity of most cells. To initiate specific molecular processes in a cell, insulin binds to one of its two receptors, IR-A and IR-B, embedded in cell membrane.

Signaling via IR-A and IR-B leads to distinct molecular events

In the pancreatic beta-cell for example, binding of insulin to IR-A initiates a chain of molecular events resulting in insulin production. On the other hand, binding of insulin to IR-B increases the production of glucokinase, the glucose sensor of the beta-cell.

Different tissues have different amounts of IR-A and IR-B

Almost every cell in the body has both IR-A and IR-B embedded in its plasma membrane. Typical insulin targets tissues like fat, muscle and liver cells have predominantly IR-B. Cancer cells, on the other hand, have mostly IR-A.

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