Sirt2 facilitates hepatic glucose uptake by deacetylating glucokinase regulatory protein
- Journal:
- Nature Communications
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1038/s41467-017-02537-6
- Affiliations:
- 4
- Authors:
- 7
Research Highlight
Diabetes drug target
© AlonzoDesign/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
A liver enzyme implicated in regulating
blood sugar levels could provide a new therapeutic target for preventing type 2
diabetes (T2D) and mitigating its effects.
A team from Japan, led by researchers from
Kanazawa University, showed that a protein called Sirt2 — a member of the
sirtuin family of enzymes — is needed for the liver to properly remove excess
glucose from the bloodstream for energy storage. Sirt2, they found, works by
binding and activating another protein called GKRP involved in increasing
glucose uptake after eating.
In mouse models of diabetes, experimentally
boosting levels of Sirt2 enhanced glucose uptake in the liver moderated the health
consequences of impaired glucose tolerance.
A similar therapeutic strategy could help
people with high blood sugar and pre-diabetes avoid developing the disease. Augmenting
Sirt2 expression pharmacologically in patients with T2D could also lessen the
risk of cardiovascular complications associated with abnormal spikes of blood
glucose.
References
- Nature Communications 9, 30 (2018). doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02537-6
Institutions | Authors | Share |
---|---|---|
Kanazawa University (KU), Japan | 0.71 | |
Research Institute, NCGM, Japan | 0.14 | |
National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM), Japan | 0.14 |