High insulin requirements and poor metabolic control do not modify the expression, regulation and PKC mediated activation of the p21ras pathway in PBMC from type II diabetic patients.
OBJECTIVE
To asses whether clinically severe insulin resistance and poor metabolic control in patients with type 11 diabetes are associated with aberrant expression or function of the p21ras pathway.


METHODS
We examined the expression and function of the p21ras pathway in resting and activated PBMC from 10 insulin treated patients with type II diabetes characterized by high insulin requirements and poor metabolic control (IR group) and 10 age and sex matched well controlled patients treated by diet alone or oral hypoglycemic medications (WC group).


RESULTS
Levels of p21ras and its regulatory elements: p21rasGAP and hSOS1, were comparable in the two groups. The induced activities of p21ras and its associated down-stream regulatory enzyme MAP-kinase following TPA stimulation were also comparable in the IR and WC patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, these data indicate that clinically significant severe insulin resistance does not modify the expression, regulation and activation of p21ras pathway in PBMC of patients with type II diabetes.
D000368:Aged; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology
D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C501009:HRAS protein, human; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate