| Type: | Family | Name: | Insulin |
| Description: | The insulin family of proteins groups together several evolutionarily related active peptides []: these include insulin [, ], relaxin [, ], insect prothoracicotropic hormone (bombyxin) [], insulin-like growth factors (IGF1 and IGF2) [, ], mammalian Leydig cell-specific insulin-like peptide (gene INSL3), early placenta insulin-like peptide (ELIP) (gene INSL4), locust insulin-related peptide (LIRP), molluscan insulin-related peptides (MIP), and Caenorhabditis elegans insulin-like peptides. The 3D structures of a number of family members have been determined [, , ]. The fold comprises two polypeptide chains (A and B) linked by two disulphide bonds: all share a conserved arrangement of 4 cysteines in their A chain, the first of which is linked by a disulphide bond to the third, while the second and fourth are linked by interchain disulphide bonds to cysteines in the B chain. Insulin is found in many animals, and is involved in the regulation of normal glucose homeostasis. It also has other specific physiological effects, such as increasing the permeability of cells to monosaccharides, amino acids and fatty acids, and accelerating glycolysis and glycogen synthesis in the liver []. Insulin exerts its effects by interaction with a cell-surface receptor, which may also result in the promotion of cell growth []. Insulin is synthesised as a prepropeptide from which an endoplasmic reticulum-targeting sequence is cleaved to yield proinsulin. The sequence of prosinsulin contains 2 well-conserved regions (designated A and B), separated by an intervening connecting region (C), which is variable between species []. The connecting region is cleaved, liberating the active protein, which contains the A and B chains, held together by 2 disulphide bonds []. | Short Name: | Insulin |
