Insulin Receptor Isoforms Differently Regulate Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis in the Ligand-Occupied and Unoccupied State.

The insulin receptor (IR) presents two isoforms (IR-A and IR-B) that differ for the α-subunit C-terminal. Both isoforms are expressed in all human cells albeit in different proportions, yet their functional properties-when bound or unbound to insulin-are not well characterized. From a cell model deprived of the Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Receptor (IGF1-R) we therefore generated cells exhibiting no IR (R-shIR cells), or only human IR-A (R-shIR-A), or exclusively human IR-B (R-shIR-B) and we studied the specific effect of the two isoforms on cell proliferation and cell apoptosis.

Effect of low-dose tungsten on human thyroid stem/precursor cells and their progeny.

Thyroid cancer incidence is increased in volcanic areas where environment pollution biocontaminates residents. Tungsten (W) is the most increased heavy metal in drinking water of Mount Etna volcanic area where it exceeds the normal range in the urine of 27% inhabitants. The possible connection between increased tungsten and thyroid cancer has never been studied.

Insulin Receptor Isoforms in Cancer.

The insulin receptor (IR) mediates both metabolic and mitogenic effects especially when overexpressed or in clinical conditions with compensatory hyperinsulinemia, due to the metabolic pathway resistance, as obesity diabetes. In many cancers, IR is overexpressed preferentially as IR-A isoform, derived by alternative splicing of exon 11. The IR-A overexpression, and the increased IR-A:IR-B ratio, are mechanisms that promote the mitogenic response of cancer cells to insulin and IGF-2, which is produced locally by both epithelial and stromal cancer cells.