ABSTRACT
Address for correspondence, current address: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Russ Berrie Paeviliou, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York, NY 10032. Tel: (212) 304-7393 Fax: (212) 304-7390 Email: da230@columbia.edu
INTRODUCTION
The insulin receptor (IR) mediates insulin action upon target cells. Because of its important function in a key process in the living organism, the IR has been extensively studied using a variety of different approaches. In recent years, with the advent of targeted mutagenesis techniques in mice, many investigators have applied this new tool to address a host of questions, ranging from whether IRs are the only, or even the main mediators of insulin action, to IR function in tissues that are not dependent on insulin for their metabolic needs. Mutagenesis of the IR has also become a valuable tool to probe the role of different organs in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, a critical process in the development of type 2 diabetes. While many of these questions have been addressed, there remains a number of unresolved controversies. In this chapter, we will review the literature on animal models of impaired IR function and analyze the outstanding issues.
