Insulin receptors and protein synthesis in bone marrow cells and reticulocytes.

Normal rabbit bone marrow erythroid cells have been found to possess insulin receptors. Their number shows an inverse relationship with the stage of differentiation, ranging from 20,000 sites/cell in the less mature to 8,000 sites/cell in the more mature cells. In addition, insulin rapidly stimulates the incorporation of leucine into protein in these cells and in rabbit, human, and rat peripheral blood reticulocytes. In rat reticulocytes, the concentration range of the hormone required for this phenomenon is from 25 to 625 microU/ml.