Biological functions of nuclear-localized insulin receptor (IR) on A549 lung cancer cells

Introduction: Under normal physiological conditions, insulin exhibits a series of important biological functions and roles. Recent studies have shown that insulin is also closely related to the occurrence and development of lung cancer. However, until now, the cellular properties of insulin/insulin receptor (IR) on lung cancer have not been fully revealed. Material and methods: Indirect immunofluorescence, western blot, and other techniques have been used to identify the biological activity of insulin on lung cancer cell lines. Results: The biological activities of insulin are closely related to its cell behaviour. Therefore, we used lung cancer cell lines as a model to explore the cellular behaviour and properties of insulin/IR in the current study, and the results showed that the IR could internalize into lung cancer cells, and it can also transport into the cell nuclei under insulin treatment. Further study showed that nuclear-localized IR could promote the proliferation of lung cancer cells. Conclusion: Taken together, this study shows that IR's nuclear localization is closely related to cell proliferation. This work lays the foundation for further research on the relationship between insulin and the occurrence and development of lung cancer.