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Insulin-like/mimetic signalling in lower eukaryotes

Muller GA

Functional responses of lower eukaryotes, to mammalian hormones and the operation of corresponding signal transduction cascades have been described for decades. Recent findings on the existence of components of insulin-like and mimetic signaling pathways, such as an insulin-binding protein, as well as their coupling to G-protein coupled receptors and metabolic pathways in lower eukaryotes, particular in Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae will be presented. These data together with the knowledge about insulin-like/mimetic molecules in lower eukaryotes provide further evidence for the provocative view that the evolutionary roots of the vertebrate endocrine system may be far more ancient than is generally believed and that the expression of insulin-like/ mimetic signalling pathways in lower eukaryotic model organisms can be useful for future drug discovery efforts.