January - March 2011, Volume 7, Issue 1

Radulescu RT

Intracellular Insulin in Physiology and Disease: Past, Present and Future

Acta Endo (Buc) 2011, 7 (1): 83-88
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2011.83

A brief synopsis on the past three and a half decades of intracellular insulin research is given as it relates primarily to the human system. Thereby, a particular emphasis is placed on insulin binding and inactivation of the central tumor suppressor retinoblastoma protein (RB) and, moreover, on insulin degradation by the putative antioncoprotein insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). Finally, the potential for (anticancer) therapeutics that target intracellular insulin is outlined.

Keywords: intracellular insulin, RB tumor suppressor, IDE, insulysin, cancer, oncogenesis, anti-cancer peptides.

Correspondence: Razvan T. Radulescu, MD, PD, Molecular Concepts Research (MCR), Muenster / Westfalen, 48163 Germany, E-mail: ratura@gmx.net