AsianScientist (Sep. 28, 2011) – Australian scientists have discovered that a single gene, which is ‘switched on’ by a high fat diet, appears to lead to diabetes.
The study, undertaken by Ph.D. student Mia Akerfeldt and Dr. Ross Laybutt from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, found that the Id1 gene appears to be the master regulator of other genes in the beta cell of the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes less sensitive to insulin, a hormone essential for maintaining normal metabolism of food. The disorder is associated with a high-sugar, high-fat diet combined with lack of exercise.
Insulin is produced in the pancreas by highly specialized ‘beta cells’, and then carried around our bodies in the bloodstream, helping cells metabolize food. When diabetes develops, the gene expression pattern in a beta cell changes, ultimately making the cell incapable of doing its job.
“We’re saying that Id1 is the molecular link between environmental factors, such as high fat diet, and beta cell dysfunction,” said Dr. Laybutt.
“Not only does the presence of Id1 appear to initiate all the other gene expression changes that take place in dysfunctional beta cells, its absence completely protects the beta cell.”
“We’ve demonstrated our finding in animal models and cell culture, and we’ve also shown that pancreatic tissue from diabetic people expresses Id1.”
Laybutt and team intend to treat diabetic mice with the chemical compound already in development to block Id1 in cancer. They believe there is new hope for people with diabetes, should they be able to delay diabetes or improve insulin secretion in mice.
“If Id1 inhibitors are shown to be safe in clinical trials for cancer, I see no reason why they should not also be trialled for diabetes,” he said.
The article can be found at: Åkerfeldt MC et al.(2011) Inhibition of Id1 Augments Insulin Secretion and Protects Against High-Fat Diet–Induced Glucose Intolerance.
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Source: Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
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