Answer to Question #170348 in Cell Biology for Jane Lee

Question

You would describe the cells from which insulin is secreted and state the overall role of insulin in the body. In signalling pathways, each signal molecule has a receptor that it binds to, so you would indicate what the receptor for insulin is called and what immediate outcome the binding of insulin has to that receptor i.e.

Answer 1

Insulin is secreted by the β-cells  (a type of islet cell) of the pancreas in response to elevated blood glucose.The overall role of insulin is hormonal regulation of the energy metabolism. The overall effect of insulin is to increase glucose storage and to decrease glucose production and release by the liver.The insulin receptor (IR) is a trans-membrane receptor that belongs to the large class of receptor tyrosine kinase.When insulin binds to the cell's receptor, it leads to negative feedback by limiting or stopping other actions within the cell. It inhibits the release and production of glucose from the cells which is an important part in reducing the glucose blood level.The receptor for insulin is a large protein that binds to insulin and passes its message into the cell.