Research

Hormonal

The insulin receptor isoform IR-A, which binds IGF-2 and proinsulin, promotes cell proliferation and is associated with detrimental effects like cancer progression and insulin resistance when overexpressed in adult life, whereas IR-B is primarily responsible for metabolic regulation.

This research highlights that not all insulin signaling is the same. The IR-A isoform, which responds to IGF-2 and proinsulin, drives cell growth and is linked to cancer and insulin resistance when overactive in adults. In contrast, IR-B handles metabolic regulation. Future treatments may need to target specific isoforms to manage diabetes without promoting cancer risk, suggesting that precision medicine approaches are necessary for metabolic health.

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High IR-A expression which is advantageous in prenatal life appears to be associated with detrimental effects, such as dysregulated cell proliferation and insulin resistance in adult life.
Antonino Belfiore et al. · Endocrine Reviews · 2017

Why this rating

The paper is a comprehensive review citing multiple structural and functional studies, though it is not a primary clinical trial.

Source

Insulin Receptor Isoforms in Physiology and Disease: An Updated View

Antonino Belfiore et al. · Endocrine Reviews · 2017

DOI 10.1210/er.2017-00073

narrative_reviewCited 361×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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