Download MendeleyAn engineered insulin analog with dual insulin and IGF-1 receptor agonism and distinct signaling.
Selicharova, I., Kirk, N.S., Kertisova, A., Lubos, M., Mitrova, K., Tichackova, T., Zakova, L., Chrudinova, M., Brezinova, J., Harant, K., Voldrich, J., Hajek, M., Huffman, D.M., Jiracek, J.(2026) Sci Adv 12: eaeb7558-eaeb7558
- PubMed: 42139356 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb7558
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
9NCO - PubMed Abstract:
Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) regulate metabolism, growth, and development via related receptors. In contexts such as brain function or fetal development, coordinated signaling by all three hormones is essential. We report the engineering of [GluB10, D-HisB24, GlyB31, TyrB32]-insulin ( 1 Ins ), an analog with high affinity for IR-A, IR-B, and especially IGF-1R. 1 Ins binds IGF-1R ~1000-fold more strongly than native insulin, approaching IGF-1 levels. Cryo-electron microscopy structures reveal how minimal substitutions in 1 Ins enable effective binding to both IR-A and IGF-1R. In neuronal cells, 1 Ins robustly activates both IR and IGF-1R pathways, promotes survival, and exceeds native ligands in neuroprotective assays. In vivo, 1 Ins regulates glucose effectively in mice and rats. Phosphoproteomic profiling confirms dual pathway activation and identifies targets specific to 1 Ins . These findings demonstrate that rational design of dual-receptor agonists can yield potent, versatile ligands with therapeutic promise in metabolic control, neuroprotection, and regeneration.
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16000 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
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