Obesity can be one of the contributing factors to insulin resistance which can lead to Type 2 diabetes and now researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have recently identified a new enzyme called PKC-delta, which, according to the press release, can act “as an important molecular modifier for development of insulin resistance, diabetes and fatty liver in mice”.
The researchers have also discovered a similar enzyme in humans which could lead to the development of new drugs for diabetes.
Dr. Kahn is the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, talking about the research, he said:
“The ‘B6’ mouse is very prone to develop both obesity and diabetes, and the ‘129’ mouse is quite protected from both, even if it possesses a genetic defect in insulin signalling.”
“Comparing the two models, it’s as if there’s an on/off switch for insulin resistance and diabetes between them. We reasoned that if we could find out the differences between B6 and 129 mice, we could identify a factor that could be a major modifier of insulin resistance, and a good drug target for treatment of type 2 diabetes.”
In earlier trials it was found that mice with the PKC-Delta gene were more insulin resistant and had an increased incidence of fatty deposits in their livers. Research carried out using biopsies of human livers showed the levels of PKC-Delta were also high in people who are obese or have diabetes.
Dr. Kahn said:
“Drugs that inhibit the activity of PKC-delta in the liver and other tissues potentially could aid treatments for diabetes and fatty liver disease, which is second only to alcohol as a cause of liver failure.”
*Previously published on http://newsfordiabetics.wordpress.com
The researchers have also discovered a similar enzyme in humans which could lead to the development of new drugs for diabetes.
Dr. Kahn is the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, talking about the research, he said:
“The ‘B6’ mouse is very prone to develop both obesity and diabetes, and the ‘129’ mouse is quite protected from both, even if it possesses a genetic defect in insulin signalling.”
“Comparing the two models, it’s as if there’s an on/off switch for insulin resistance and diabetes between them. We reasoned that if we could find out the differences between B6 and 129 mice, we could identify a factor that could be a major modifier of insulin resistance, and a good drug target for treatment of type 2 diabetes.”
In earlier trials it was found that mice with the PKC-Delta gene were more insulin resistant and had an increased incidence of fatty deposits in their livers. Research carried out using biopsies of human livers showed the levels of PKC-Delta were also high in people who are obese or have diabetes.
Dr. Kahn said:
“Drugs that inhibit the activity of PKC-delta in the liver and other tissues potentially could aid treatments for diabetes and fatty liver disease, which is second only to alcohol as a cause of liver failure.”
*Previously published on http://newsfordiabetics.wordpress.com
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