title: Glutathione reductase is expressed at high levels in pancreatic islet cells.
abstract: Reactive oxygen species are, at least partly, involved in the diabetogenic agent-induced dysfunction of pancreatic beta-cells because the expression of antioxidative and redox proteins is low. We examined the levels of antioxidant/redox proteins, peroxiredoxins-1, -4, and -6 and glutathione reductase (GR), by immunohistochemistry and found that the expression of GR was very high in pancreatic islet cells compared to exocrine cells. When diabetes was induced by an intravenous injection of streptozotocin, the pre-administration of 1,3-bis[2-chloroethyl]-1-nitrosourea, an irreversible inhibitor of GR, made islet cells more vulnerable to streptozotocin. These data point to a pivotal role of the glutathione redox system in pancreatic islet cells against diabetogenic stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iuchi
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002330:Carmustine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism*; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000201:enzymology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000378:metabolism; D054464:Peroxiredoxins; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013311:Streptozocin
chemical_list: D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D013311:Streptozocin; D010544:Peroxidases; C489898:Prdx1 protein, rat; D054464:Peroxiredoxins; C515982:Prdx4 protein, rat; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D002330:Carmustine