New research published in the journal Nature Medicine shows that a cellular program that causes aging can also bring unexpected benefits in the function of pancreatic beta cells and the production of insulin in mice and humans.
The researchers examined the activity of a gene named p16, which is known to activate a program called senescence in cells. Senescence prevents cells from dividing, and is therefore important in preventing cancer. The activity of the p16 gene increases in human and mouse pancreatic beta cells during aging and limits their potential to divide. This activity is thus seen as having a negative effect - the lack of ability of these cells to divide can contribute to diabetes, since beta cells are the cells responsible for secreting insulin when blood glucose levels are high, and their loss causes diabetes. However, it was unknown whether senescent beta cells could continue functioning at all.
To their surprise, the researchers discovered that during normal aging, p16 and cellular senescence actually improve the primary function of beta cells: the secretion of insulin upon glucose stimulation. Because insulin secretion increases during the normal aging of mice and is driven by elevated p16 activity, some of these cells actually start to function better.
The researchers further found that activation of p16 and senescence in beta cells of mice that suffer from diabetes enhanced insulin secretion, thereby partly reversing the disease and improving the health of the mice. Similar experiments conducted in human cells strongly suggest that senescence-induced enhancement of insulin secretion is conserved between mice and humans, and point to the p16 gene as its main driver in both organisms.
These findings are novel in that they indicate for the first time that during healthy aging, the function of beta cells actually improves, at least in some aspects. The study also provides a basic understanding about what happens to beta cells during aging, namely a tradeoff between their ability to divide and regenerate, and their ability to function well.
More generally, p16 and cellular senescence, which until now have been viewed as responses to damage, stress and tumor development, actually also act to regulate normal functional tissue maturation with age, in the case of pancreatic beta cells.
The discovery that senescence regulates insulin secretion may have broad implications for the understanding and treatment of diabetes. It highlights a new mechanism by which beta cell function and insulin secretion can be enhanced, and suggests that drugs that can affect cell division, and senescence may influence beta cell function - for better or worse. Drugs that can induce senescence are currently given to cancer patients, yet their effects on insulin secretion are not well studied. In light of these findings, it is conceivable that tools that can activate senescence could be implemented for better treatment of diabetes.
http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/29587
Cellular aging process unexpectedly enhances insulin secretion
- 1,322 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
Molecular mechanisms of som…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Jul
A distinct macrophage popul…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
Sex differences in neurolog…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
A neutralizing antibody blo…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
Novel epigenic editor, CHAR…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
Other Top Stories
An electrochemical, wearable, nano-porous membrane device to monito…
Read more
High sensitivity flexible X-ray detector
Read more
Computational Purkinje cell model with climbing fibers
Read more
Detecting hundreds of proteins in a single sample
Read more
Can we keep liquids from freezing at very low temperatures for exte…
Read more
Protocols
Monitoring norepinephrine r…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Jul
BicemuS: A new tool for neu…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jun
Deciphering spatial domains…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Jun
High-throughput volumetric…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Jun
Bioengineered human colon o…
By newseditor
Posted 14 Jun
Publications
Monitoring melanoma patient…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
Loss of GPR75 protects agai…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
Effects of evening smartpho…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
Antibody-activation of conn…
By newseditor
Posted 30 Jun
Mechanism of chaperone coor…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Jun
Presentations
Myelin plasticity in the ve…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar