Functional importance of heat shock protein 90 associated with insulin receptor on insulin-stimulated mitogenesis

The role of stress proteins on the function of insulin receptor is not well understood. In the rat-1 fibroblasts overexpressing human insulin receptors, heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 was co-immunoprecipitated with insulin receptors and the association was not affected by insulin stimulation. A GST-fusion protein containing the intracellular insulin receptor β subunit was associated with Hsp 90 in vitro, suggesting the direct interaction of this protein with insulin receptor β-subunit. Furthermore, microinjection of anti-Hsp 90 antibody into these cells completely inhibited insulin-stimulated mitogenesis. However, neither epidermal growth factor-stimulated nor serum-stimulated mitogenic signal in the cells was affected by the antibody microinjection. These results suggest that Hsp 90 constitutively binds to insulin receptor β-subunit, which may be necessary for insulin signaling in mitogenesis.