Background：Receptor tyrosine kinases （RTKs） are transmembrane molecular scaffolds that influence cellular processes including the cell cycle, cell migration, cell metabolism, cell survival, proliferation and differentiation. Insulin-like rowth factor-I receptor （IGF-IR） is an RTK that stimulates growth in many different cell types, blocks apoptosis, acts as an intermediate of many growth hormone responses and may stimulate the growth of some types of cancer. The IGF-IR cognate ligand Insulin-like growth factor-I （IGF-I） promotes association of IGF-IR with Shc, GRB2 and Sos 1, which initiates Ras and ERK kinase cascades,thereby modifying transcription factor activity, such as activation of the Elk transcription factors. The modular phosphotyrosine-binding （PTB） domains of Insulin receptor substrates （IRS）-1 and -2 can associate with active IGF-IR and initiate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent downstream signals. The human IGF-IR gene maps to chromosome 15q26.3 and encodes a 1,376 amino acid precursor protein that cleaves into a and b subunits. The human IGF-IIR gene maps to chromosome 6q26 and encodes a 2,491 amino acid ransmembrane protein.
