Insulin Receptor: Evidence That It Is a Protein Kinase

Highly purified preparations of insulin receptor catalyzed the phosphorylation of the 95,000-dalton subunit of the insulin receptor. This subunit of the insulin receptor was also labeled with [alpha-32P]8-azidoadenosine 5'-triphosphate, a photoaffinity label for adenosine triphosphate binding sites. The identity of the 95,000-dalton band was confirmed in both cases by precipitation with a monoclonal antibody to the insulin receptor. These results suggest that the insulin receptor is itself a protein kinase.