Small molecule modulation of insulin receptor-insulin like growth factor-1 receptor heterodimers in human endothelial cells.

A recent preprint abstract discusses the discovery of a small molecule that can reduce the formation of hybrid receptors in human endothelial cells. These hybrid receptors consist of insulin receptor (IR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) subunits. The small molecule was found to decrease hybrid formation by over 50% in endothelial cells, without affecting the overall expression of IR or IGF-1R. This reduction in hybrid receptors led to increased insulin-induced phosphorylation of Akt, a critical downstream signaling kinase. The study suggests that this small molecule could have potential therapeutic implications for diabetes mellitus. However, it is important to note that this research has not yet undergone peer review. [Extracted from the article]