First functional insulin-binding protein in invertebratesApril 15, 2008Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling that helps to regulate mammals' growth, metabolism, reproduction and longevity is well documented. Now research published in the open access journal Journal of Biology describes the genetic identification of the first functional insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) ortholog in invertebrates. Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) signal through a highly conserved pathway and control growth and metabolism in both vertebrates and invertebrates. The well-studied mammalian IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) do not, however, have obvious sequence homologs in the fruit fly Drosophila. The discovery of a functional ortholog transforms Drosophila into a powerful model system in which to explore metabolic regulation and presents a significant advance in our understanding of the mechanisms by which the actions of insulin-like peptides are regulated. A research team led by Ernst Hafen from the Institute of Molecular Systems Biology at the ETH in Zürich, Switzerland, employed a genetic strategy to search for negative insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) regulators in Drosophila. The team identified a new functional insulin-binding protein that acts as an IIS antagonist. Dubbed imaginal morphogenesis protein-late 2 (Imp-L2), the new antagonist binds the Drosophila insulin-like peptide 2 (Dilp2), inhibiting its growth-promoting function. Imp-L2 not only has a role in growth regulation - it is also essential for the dampening of insulin signaling under adverse conditions.
The authors hope that better understanding of Imp-L2's role in growth control and insulin signaling in Drosophila will ultimately impact on our understanding of the human ortholog IGFBP-7. This has a regulatory role in pathways that impact upon diabetes and cancer. IGFBP-7 acts as a tumor suppressor in a variety of human organs and differs in the C-terminus from the other IGFBPs. "Since Imp-L2 and the human tumor suppressor IGFBP-7 display sequence homology in their C-terminal immunoglobulin-like domains, we suggest that their common precursor represents an ancestral insulin-binding protein," says Hafen BioMed Central | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Drosophila Current Events and Drosophila News Articles Scientists identify genes capable of regulating stem cell function Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, Boston, MA, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Utah School of Medicine have developed a new system in which to study known mammalian adult stem cell disorders. Obesity genes revealed A study of 228 women has revealed genetic variants responsible for body shape. Based on work in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, research published today in the open access journal BMC Genetics identifies natural variation in the human LAMA5 gene as a key determinant of weight. Stem cell chicken and egg debate moves to unlikely arena: the testes Logic says it has to be the niche. As air and water preceded life, so the niche, that hospitable environment that shelters adult stem cells in many tissues and provides factors necessary to keep them young and vital, must have emerged before its stem cell dependents. Discovery of a mechanism that regulates cell movement A study performed by researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), in collaboration with researchers at the Instituto de Biología Molecular of the CSIC, reveal a mechanism that controls the movement of cells in a tissue by regulating cell adhesion. Researchers reveal types of genes necessary for brain development Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brandeis University have successfully completed a full-genome RNAi screen in neurons, showing what types of genes are necessary for brain development. Details of the screen and its novel methodology are published July 4th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. Plants in the fourth dimension As anyone who has suffered from jetlag knows, we have internal clocks that tell us when to sleep and wake, and we can be miserable when these are disrupted. Estimation of isolation times in the Drosophila simulans complex The Drosophila simulans species complex continues to serve as an important model system for the study of new species formation. The complex is comprised of the cosmopolitan species, D. simulans, and two island endemics, D. mauritiana and D. sechellia. Shilatifard Lab Identifies New Role for Factor Critical to Transcription The Stowers Institute's Shilatifard Lab has identified a new role for the elongation factor ELL in gene transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) - the enzyme that synthesizes messenger RNA to carry genetic information from DNA to the protein-synthesizing machinery of the cell. Taking the temperature of the no-fly zone Flies, unlike humans, can't manipulate the temperature of their surroundings so they need to pick the best spot for flourishing. New Brandeis University research in this week's Nature reveals that they have internal thermosensors to help them. Microsurgery on the brain of the fruit fly leads to new insights into irreparable nerve injuries Every year, one million Europeans are confronted with potentially irreparable brain or spinal cord injuries resulting from traffic accidents. More Drosophila Current Events and Drosophila News Articles |
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