Role of Insulin in the Regulation of Protein Synthesis

Abstract

Recent research has established an anabolic role for insulin in the regulation of protein turnover, and in some instances identified specific reactions as the site of hormone action. Two major control mechanisms have been implicated, one in muscle tissue and one in liver. The major advances in recent years have included vastly greater knowledge of the chemical reactions in the pathway of protein synthesis; new methods for accurate measurements of synthetic rates; procedures for in vitro perfusion of liver, heart, and skeletal muscle; methods for measurement of intermediates in the synthetic pathway; methods for quantifying the synthesis of individual proteins; and techniques for measuring messenger RNA levels for specific proteins. Future work is dependent on further definition and characterization of the individual components of the synthetic pathway