Insulinotropic glucagonlike peptide-I(7-37)/(7-36)amide A new incretin hormone.
Intestinal peptide hormones, released into circulation in response to a meal, are important augmentors of the postprandial insulin release stimulated by absorbed nutrients. In this "Incretin concept" glucagon-like peptide I(7-37) plays a major role because it is the most powerful glucose-dependent insulin secretagogue described so far. Glucagonlike peptide I(7-37) also stimulates proinsulin gene expression and proinsulin biosynthesis in insulinoma cells, and it may be involved in the regulation of the intracellular insulin pool of the B cell. Recent studies show elevated levels of glucagonlike peptide I(7-37) in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The physiology and pathophysiology of the enteroinsular axis is a promising field of basic and clinical research that has a relevance to diabetes mellitus.
Fehmann
H C
HC
Hans-C. Fehmann and Joel F. Habener are at the Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Habener
J F
JF