New Hope for a Diabetes Cure
Stanford researchers have found that a protein called calcineurin is involved in diabetes. Their research reveals that calcineurin is very important for the growth of special insulin-producing cells in the pancreas called beta cells. Insulin is the hormone that regulates sugar levels in the blood by telling cells to increase their sugar intake.
In some forms of diabetes, the beta cells produce too little insulin or none at all, leading to an increase in blood sugar, and potential damage of the blood vessels, kidneys, eyes and nerves.
Using mice models, the scientists found that when beta cells in the pancreas stop making calcineurin, these beta cells no longer increase in number, and they reduce their production of insulin. This results in the mice becoming diabetic. In addition, the researchers linked calcineurin to 10 other genes that are also implicated in diabetes.
This discovery is a major step toward finding a cure for diabetes.
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Source: Nature 443, 345-349(21 September, 2006)
