title: A radical explanation for glucose-induced beta cell dysfunction.
abstract: The development of type 2 diabetes requires impaired beta cell function. Hyperglycemia itself causes further decreases in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. A new study demonstrates that hyperglycemia-induced mitochondrial superoxide production activates uncoupling protein 2, which decreases the ATP/ADP ratio and thus reduces the insulin-secretory response. These data suggest that pharmacologic inhibition of mitochondrial superoxide overproduction in beta cells exposed to hyperglycemia could prevent a positive feed-forward loop of glucotoxicity that drives impaired glucose tolerance toward frank type 2 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, New York, New York 10461, USA. Brownlee@aecom.yu.edu
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brownlee
mesh_terms: D000244:Adenosine Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007473:Ion Channels; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D000071246:Uncoupling Protein 2
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D007473:Ion Channels; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; C000604389:UCP2 protein, human; D000071246:Uncoupling Protein 2; D013481:Superoxides; D000244:Adenosine Diphosphate; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D005947:Glucose