  Time has come for a survey of our knowledge on the physical interaction
between the growth-promoting insulin molecule and retinoblastoma tumor
suppressor protein (RB). Theoretical and experimental observations over the
past 15 years reviewed here indicate that the insulin-RB dimer may represent an
essential molecular crossroads involved in major physiological and pathological
conditions. Within this system, the putative tumor suppressor insulin-degrading
enzyme (IDE) should be an important modulator. Perhaps most remarkably, the
abstraction of this encounter between insulin and RB, two growth-regulatory
giants acting either in concert or against each other depending on the
respective cellular requirements, reveals that Nature may compute in
controlling cell fate and we could follow in its footsteps towards developing
more efficient therapeutics as well as novel technical devices.
