Involvement of Janus Kinases in the Insulin Signaling Pathway

The adaptor molecule growth-factor-receptor-bound protein-2 (Grb2) plays a role in insulin action since it links tyrosine phosphorylated IRS-1 and Shc to the guanine-nucleotide-exchange factor, Sos, which initiates the mitogen-activated-protein (MAP) kinase cascade by producing Ras-GTP. Both IRS-1 and Shc are phosphorylated by the insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase. In the present study, we have investigated whether the tyrosine kinases of the Janus kinase family (JAK) could be involved in insulin signaling by acting on Grb2. In fibroblasts over-expressing insulin receptors we observed that two tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins interact with Grb2 and with a mutant of Grb2, which lacks the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain, indicating that these proteins associate with the SH3 domains of Grb2. Further, we found that both JAK1 and JAK2 constitutively associate with Grb2, through interaction with the SH3 domains of Grb2. Finally, insulin appears to induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of JAK1, but does not modify the tyrosine phosphorylation state of JAK2. In conclusion, our results suggest that the JAK proteins could participate in insulin signal transduction, and could therefore constitute an alternative pathway for mediating some of the pleiotropic responses induced by insulin.