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Insulin 3: From chemical synthesis to biological function

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Abstract

Insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) is one of ten members of the human insulin superfamily and consists of two peptide chains that contain the characteristic insulin fold and disulfide bond pairings. It is primarily produced in the Leydig cells of the testes, and gene knockout experiments have identified a key biological role as initiating testes descent during foetal development. Its receptor has recently been shown to be a member of the leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor family (LGR) and is known as LGR8. Considerable work has recently been undertaken with the aim of studying the mechanism of INSL3 downstream action on responsive cells and, towards this goal, the use of synthetic peptides has proved particularly beneficial. This mini-review outlines how these together with basic structure–function studies are beginning to reveal not only its molecular actions but also its potential new biological actions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia

    Ping Fu, Ross A. D. Bathgate, Geoffrey W. Tregear & John D. Wade

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  1. Ping Fu
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  2. Ross A. D. Bathgate
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  3. Geoffrey W. Tregear
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  4. John D. Wade
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Fu, P., Bathgate, R.A.D., Tregear, G.W. et al. Insulin 3: From chemical synthesis to biological function. Int J Pept Res Ther 10, 387–391 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10989-004-2388-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10989-004-2388-5

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