Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Insulin binds to brain blood vessels in vivo

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

The brain has generally been considered an insulin-independent organ, because insulin does not apparently exert a direct effect on brain glucose consumption1. Recently, however, insulin receptors have been detected throughout the central nervous system (CNS) of several species2,3. Since important insights into the functional significance of brain insulin receptors might be provided by identification of the cell type(s) possessing these receptors, we have attempted to localise them morphologically using light and electron microscope autoradiography. We report here results indicating that blood vessels throughout the CNS of the rat bind plasma insulin rapidly and with considerable specificity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lund-Andersen, H. Physiol. Rev. 59, 305–358 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Posner, B. I., Kelly, P. A., Shiu, R. P. C. & Friesen, H. G. Endocrinology 95, 521–531 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Havrancova, J., Roth, J. & Brownstein, M. Nature 272, 827–829 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. van Houten, M., Posner, B. I., Kopriwa, B. M. & Brawer, J. R. Endocrinology 105, 666–673 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kopriwa, B. M. & Leblond, C. P., J. Histochem. Cytochem. 10, 269–284 (1962).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. van Houten, M., Posner, B. I. & Walsh, R. J. Expl Brain Res. (submitted).

  7. van Houten, M., Schiffrin, E. L., Mann, J. F. E., Posner, B. I. & Boucher, R., Brain Res. (submitted).

  8. Kopriwa, B. M. Histochemie 37, 1–17 (1973); Histochemistry 44, 201–224 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Nadler, N. J. J. Cell Biol. 49, 877–882 (1971).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Salpeter, M. M. & McHenry, F. A. in Advanced Techniques in Biological Electron Microscopy (ed. Koehler, J. K.) 113–152 (Springer, Berlin, 1973).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. Arieff, A. I., Doerner, T., Zelig, H. & Massry, S. G. J. clin. Invest. 54, 564–663 (1974).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Bar, R. S., Hoak, J. C. & Peacock, M. L. J. clin. Endocr. Metab. 47, 699–702 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2B2

    Mark van Houten & Barry I. Posner

Authors
  1. Mark van Houten
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Barry I. Posner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

van Houten, M., Posner, B. Insulin binds to brain blood vessels in vivo. Nature 282, 623–625 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/282623a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/282623a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation