Different subcellular distribution and regulation of expression of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-3 from those of IRS-1 and IRS-2

Adipocytes contain three major substrate proteins of the insulin receptor, termed IRS-1, IRS-2, and IRS-3. We demonstrated that IRS-1 and IRS-2 are located mainly in the low density microsome (LDM) fraction and are tyrosine phosphorylated in response to insulin stimulation, leading to phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase activation. In contrast, IRS-3 is located mainly in the plasma membrane (PM) fraction and contributes to PI 3-kinase activation in the PM fraction. The different cellular localizations of IRS proteins may account for the mechanism of insulin resistance induced by a high fat diet, considering that PI 3-kinase activation in the LDM fraction is reportedly essential for the translocation of GLUT4 in adipocytes. High fat feeding in rats increased both protein and mRNA levels of IRS-3 but decreased those of IRS-1 and IRS-2 in epididymal adipocytes. As a result, selective impairment of insulin-induced PI 3-kinase activation was observed in the LDM fraction, whereas PI 3-kinase activation was conserved in the PM fraction. This is the first report showing that different IRS proteins function in different subcellular compartments, which may contribute to determining the insulin sensitivity in adipocytes.