Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) is a major substrate of the insulin receptor in most cells. The N terminus of IRS-1 contains a phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain and a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, both of which have been identified as important for insulin-stimulated phosphorylation in intact cells. The PTB domain binds to a phosphorylated motif, NPEY(P)960, that is present in the juxtamembrane region of the insulin receptor. A direct interaction between the PH domain of IRS-1 and the receptor has not been demonstrated. In this study, we examine the role of the IRS-1 PTB and PH domains during IRS-1-receptor binding and IRS-1 phosphorylation in intact cells and in vitro. Abrogation of binding of the PTB domain to NPXY(P) by mutation of Tyr960 of the insulin receptor did not reduce the binding of phosphorylated IRS-1 to insulin receptors in intact cells, and had no effect on binding of insulin receptors to IRS-1 or on IRS-1 phosphorylation in vitro. We examined the phosphorylation and receptor binding of a mutant recombinant IRS-I that lacks the N-terminal PH domain (APH-IRS-1). Although phosphorylation of APH-IRS-1 by wild-type or [Ala960]insulin receptors was similar to that of IRS-1, binding of insulin receptor to APH-IRS-1 was markedly reduced relative to that to IRS-1. We conclude that stable association of IRS-1 with the insulin receptor is unaffected by disruption of PTB-domainTyr960 interactions but requires the IRS-1 PH domain, and that efficient phosphorylation of IRS-1 in intact cells correlates with the formation of stable receptor . IRS-1 complexes.Keywords: insulin receptor; insulin-receptor substrate-1 ; pleckstrin-homology domain ; insulin action.The insulin receptor is a ligand-activated tyrosine-specific protein kinase that mediates cellular responses to insulin (reviewed in [ 11). Unlike tyrosine-kinase receptors that dimerize after ligand binding, the insulin receptor exists as a heterotetramer composed of two a subunits and two membrane-spanning subunits. Activation of the receptor by autophosphorylation is followed by rapid tyrosyl phosphorylation of the endogenous substrates Shc and insulin receptor substrates 1 and 2 (IRS-1 and IRS-2) [2-41. These phosphoproteins recruit signaling molecules that contain Src-homology-2 domains, including the lipid kinase p85lpl10 phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, the adapter Grb-2, and the tyrosine-specific phosphatase SHPTP2 [ 11. The recruitment of these signaling components activate multiple signaling pathways, which regulate metabolic and proliferative responses.The recognition of physiological substrates by the insulin receptor may in part result from the primary structures of potential phosphorylation sites, as K,, values for the phosphorylation of peptides derived from IRS-1 are significantly lower than for poly(G1u80Tyr20) or other model peptides [5]. However, phosphorylation of endogenous substrates appears to involve the phosphotyrosine-binding domain (PTB domain), which is present In the present study, we examine the contribution of inter...