Work

Minireview: Posttranscriptional Regulation of the Insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor Systems

Year: 2009

Type: review

Abstract: Insulin and IGFs share structural similarities and regulate metabolic processes including glucose homeostasis. Acute alterations in glucose levels trigger rapid changes in insulin concentration and insulin signaling. These processes are tightly regulated by posttranscriptional mechanisms that alter the stability and translation of mRNAs encoding insulin and the insulin receptor. Long-term glucose homeostasis is also modulated by IGFs and IGF receptors, whose expression is likewise subject to changes in the stability and translation of the encoding mRNAs. The control of mRNA half-life and translation is governed by RNA-binding proteins and microRNAs that interact with target transcripts at the 3' and 5' untranslated regions. In this review, we describe the RNA-binding proteins and microRNAs that target the mRNAs encoding insulin, IGFs, and their receptors. We discuss how these mRNA-binding factors help to elicit timely, versatile, and tissue-specific changes in insulin and IGF function, thereby effecting critical control of energy metabolism.

Source: Endocrinology

DOI: 10.1210/en.2009-1123

Authors: Eun Kyung Lee, Myriam Gorospe

Institutions: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging

Language: English

Topic: RNA Research and Splicing

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging