Preferential degradation of the beta subunit of purified insulin receptor. Effect on insulin binding and protein kinase activities of the receptor.

Collagenase preparations (a mixture of enzymes including collagenase, clostripain, and a casein-degrading protease) degraded the beta subunit (Mr = 95,000) of the purified insulin receptor into fragments of Mr less than 15,000, without degrading the alpha subunit. The resulting beta-digested insulin receptor preparations were found to bind insulin as well as control insulin receptor, as assessed by either cross-linking of 125I-insulin to the digested receptor or by separating insulin bound to receptor from free insulin by high performance liquid chromatography. Moreover, the beta-digested insulin receptor preparations were still precipitated by a monoclonal antibody directed against the insulin-binding site. In contrast, the beta-digested insulin receptor lacked protein kinase activity since it no longer phosphorylated either itself, or an exogenous substrate, calf thymus histone. These results support the identification of the beta subunit of the insulin receptor as a protein kinase.