G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinases (GRKs) are serine/threonine kinases that desensitize agonist-occupied classical GPCRs. Although the insulin receptor (IR) is a tyrosine kinase receptor, the IR also couples to G-proteins and utilizes G-protein signaling components. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that GRK2 negatively regulates IR signaling. FL83B cells, derived from mouse liver, were treated with insulin and membrane translocation of GRK2 was determined using immunofluoresecence and Western blotting. Insulin caused an increase in the translocation of GRK-2 from cytosol to the plasma membrane. To determine the role of GRK2 in IR signaling, GRK2 was selectively down-regulated (ϳby 90%) in FL83B cells using a small interfering RNA technique. The primary biological effect of insulin is maintenance of glucose homeostasis. The effects of insulin are mediated by binding to the insulin receptor, a member of the tyrosine kinase receptor family (1). The insulin receptor is a heterotetrameric receptor, consisting of two extracellular ␣ and two transmembrane  subunits (2). Insulin binding to the ␣-subunit of insulin receptor causes autophosphorylation of the -subunit at specific tyrosine residues (3). Autophosphorylation of the -subunit increases the tyrosine kinase activity of the receptor toward other protein substrates, resulting in the tyrosine phosphorylation of a family of insulin receptor substrate proteins including IRS1, 2 IRS2, and Shc. The IRS proteins serve as docking proteins for other intracellular proteins containing Src homology 2 domains such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and Grb2. The binding of these proteins to IRS proteins transmits the signal downstream, leading to the metabolic and mitogenic effects of insulin (4). For example, the interaction of phosphorylated IRS1/2 with PI 3-kinase leads to activation of protein kinase B/Akt, producing many effects such as GLUT4 translocation, protein synthesis, and inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). The GSK3, a serine/threonine kinase, phosphorylates glycogen synthase and inactivates it. As glycogen synthase is a rate-limiting enzyme in glycogen synthesis, inactivation of GSK3 by insulin removes the inhibitory effect of GSK3 on glycogen synthase and leads to increased glycogen synthesis (5-7).In addition to signaling via its tyrosine kinase activity, the insulin receptor also couples to the G-proteins G i and G q (8,9). This IR/G-protein coupling is required for some actions of insulin. For example, insulin resistance develops in adipocytes when G␣ i is down-regulated (10). Moreover, in 3T3L1 adipocytes IR signaling via G␣ q/11 is required for insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation (11). The signaling of receptors via G-proteins is regulated by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), a family of serine/threonine kinases that participate in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) desensitization. GRK2 can produce GPCR desensitization either by phosphorylation-dependent or phosphorylation-independent mechan...