Glucose levels trigger compensation for type 2 diabeticsJanuary 03, 2007Many individuals with type 2 diabetes are diabetic because the cells of their body no longer respond to the hormone insulin, which is crucial for lowering blood sugar levels (blood glucose levels). However, before individuals become clinically diabetic their body tries to compensate for the increasing resistance to the effects of insulin by increasing both the amount of insulin secreted and the mass of insulin-secreting cells (beta cells) in the pancreas. Several factors have been shown to induce an increase in beta-cell mass, but exactly what triggers this in individuals consuming a high-fat diet has not been clearly established. In a study appearing in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Takashi Kadowaki and colleagues from the University of Tokyo, Japan, show that in mice with high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance, changes in glucose concentration are likely to be the main trigger of increased beta-cell mass. The beta-cell mass of mice expressing only one copy of the gene encoding the sensor of blood glucose levels, GCK (Gck-/- mice), showed little increase compared with wild-type mice fed a high-fat diet, and the mice developed diabetes. One important mediator of the beta-cell mass increase downstream of GCK sensing increased blood glucose levels, and was shown to be IRS2, as expression of IRS2 in Gck-/- mice partially prevented diabetes by increasing beta-cell mass. The authors therefore suggest that novel strategies to increase beta-cell mass to treat type 2 diabetes and overcome high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance might be developed if the mechanism linking GCK and IRS2 can be determined. However, in an accompanying commentary, Gordon Weir and Susan Bonner-Weir from the Joslin Diabetes Center remind us that before we develop new therapeutics "it is essential that glucose signals involved in beta-cell replication in both health and disease be carefully defined." Journal of Clinical Investigation |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Glucose Current Events and Glucose News Articles Scientists unlock clues for tailoring corn plant for food, energy needs Scientists have long known that the offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both their parents. Now, a team of researchers including a University of Florida geneticist has discovered clues to why that might be the case for one of the most important crops in the world: corn. Scripps research scientists find new link between insulin and core body temperature A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a direct link between insulin-a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes-and core body temperature. Cancers' Sweet Tooth May Be Weakness The pedal-to-the-metal signals driving the growth of several types of cancer cells lead to a common switch governing the use of glucose, researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered. Scientists find molecular trigger that helps prevent aging and disease Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine set out to address a question that has been challenging scientists for years: How do dietary restriction-and the reverse, overconsumption-produce protective effects against aging and disease? Night Beat, Overtime and a Disrupted Sleep Pattern Can Harm Officers' Health A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a good "night's" sleep. Fat collections linked to decreased heart function Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that fat collection in different body locations, such as around the heart and the aorta and within the liver, are associated with certain decreased heart functions. New study links vitamin D deficiency to cardiovascular disease and death While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong and healthy heart as well - and that inadequate levels of the vitamin may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, and death, even among people who've never had heart disease. Researchers discover mechanism of insulin production that can lead to better treatment for diabetes How a specific gene within the pancreas affects secretion of insulin has been discovered by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Japanese and American universities. New paper describes connections between Circadian and metabolic systems A paper by University of Notre Dame biologist Giles Duffield and a team of researchers offers new insights into a gene that plays a key role in modulating the body's Circadian system and may also simultaneously modulate its metabolic system. Sweet as can be: how E. coli gets ahead Scientists at the University of York have discovered how certain bacteria such as Escherichia coli have evolved to capture rare sugars from their environment giving them an evolutionary advantage in naturally competitive environments like the human gut. More Glucose Current Events and Glucose News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||