2024-01-14 23:40:00
diabetes
[밀당365] Another cause of diabetes discovered… Will a new ‘treatment method’ emerge?
Reporter Choi Ji-woo
Entered 2024/01/15 08:40
Health Chosun DB Diabetes is mainly caused by insulin deficiency due to autoimmunity or increased insulin resistance due to obesity, genetics, and living environment. To improve diabetes, appropriate medication prescriptions and healthy lifestyle habits are required for each cause. Recently, research results were released that analyzed new causes of diabetes.
Two-line summary of today’s diabetes letter
1. An enzyme that inhibits the action of insulin in the body has been discovered.
2. Opens the possibility of a new treatment target for diabetes.
Discovery of an enzyme that interferes with insulin function
A research team at Case Western Reserve University in the United States has discovered a new cause of diabetes. They discovered ‘SCAN enzyme’, which blocks insulin produced in the body. This enzyme regulates insulin function by binding nitric oxide to the insulin receptor. Nitric oxide is a substance produced by arterial endothelial cells and plays an important role in dilating blood vessels, improving blood flow and regulating blood pressure.
However, diabetic patients have more SCAN enzyme than normal people, so nitric oxide is excessively bound to insulin receptors. The higher the insulin-nitric oxide binding ratio, the greater insulin resistance and poor blood sugar control. When the research team analyzed diabetic patients and diabetic mice, they found that SCAN enzyme activity was high, and mice without SCAN enzyme had a low risk of developing diabetes.
Because of ‘S-nitrosylation reaction’
Why does SCAN enzyme increase diabetes risk? This is because of the ‘S-nitrosylation reaction’. Nitric oxide has the property of interacting with proteins, such as binding to them, and the technical term for this is S-nitrosylation. Professor Lim Seung-soon of the Department of Physiology at Keimyung University School of Medicine said, “S-nitrosylation affects various cellular processes by regulating protein structure and function. When S-nitrosylation occurs, insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism can change.” In this way, nitric oxide in the body binds to the receptor protein that transmits insulin signals and strengthens or inhibits insulin signal transmission. SCAN enzyme helps this process, and if S-nitrosylation increases due to increased SCAN enzyme in the body, it can cause diabetes or accelerate its progression.
Looking forward to follow-up research
The results of this study are significant in that they suggest a new diabetes treatment target. However, more research on SCAN enzyme is still needed. Professor Lim Seung-soon of the Department of Physiology at Keimyung University School of Medicine said, “Since SCAN enzyme has been found to be a new target marker for diabetes, further research is needed on how to reduce SCAN enzyme or why the amount of SCAN increases when diabetes develops.” A method to quickly and accurately measure the amount of SCAN enzyme must also be developed. Professor Lim said, “SCAN is an enzyme that exists within cells, so it cannot be measured through blood, so it must be measured using immunostaining, but the reference range has not been established yet.” Immunostaining is a method of detecting specific proteins within cells using antibodies, and the process is complicated and takes a long time.
Currently, the scientific community is studying the S-nitrosylation reaction and investigating the role of S-nitrosylation. Dr. Jonathan Stamler, who led the above study, said, “If a new treatment that blocks the SCAN enzyme is developed, diabetes might be effectively prevented or treated.” Attention is being paid to how this discovery will develop through follow-up research.
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