Some light shed on blood sugar production

A University of Alberta diabetes researcher has collaborated on a body of diabetes research that has unravelled the signalling pathway mystery that controls the production of blood sugar.

Peter Light, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research senior scholar and associate professor in the U of A Department of Pharmacology, has co-authored an article in the April 10 edition of the prestigious international science magazine, Nature. The paper showcases the discovery of a novel signalling pathway between the gut, the brain and the liver, and lowers blood sugar when activated.

In collaboration with University of Toronto diabetes researcher Tony Lam, Light was able to advise on experiments that showed the presence of fat in the small intestine activates a subset of nerves that send a signal to the brain, which in turn instructs the liver to lower blood-sugar production.

"It is almost like a remote-control device which has a direct line to the brain," said Light. "It is like the gut has the brain on speed dial."

Light, whose research focuses on the effects of fats on insulin secretion in the pancreas, says although scientists have known that the brain and liver were involved in lowering blood sugar, this is the first time a direct link has been discovered.

"This means if you can target this pathway in the gut, you may be able to regulate blood-sugar levels, which represents a novel approach to treating Type 2 diabetes," he said

Scientists around the world are in a race to discover new and effective ways to lower blood-sugar levels in people who are obese or who have diabetes because of the resulting risk of severe complications from high blood sugar, including heart attack, stroke, blindness, erectile dysfunction, foot problems and amputations.

"The next set of experiments will look to determine what types of fats trigger this mechanism and what types of neurons are involved in this pathway to be able to target them with a variety of drugs," said Light. "Once you've established that signalling pathway, you can start looking at molecular targets for specific drugs.

"The nice thing is, because it is in the gut, it is very amenable for some localized oral treatment."

Light adds that the discovery of this direct neural pathway opens up an avenue to discover the possible causes of Type 2 diabetes.

"Is the whole mechanism dampened in an obese or Type 2 diabetic state?" said Light. "It could well be that if you have a diet high in fats going into the gut, it could just desensitize those neurons and they will not fire off any more."

Source: University of Alberta

Related stories:

Researchers find culprit in aging muscles that heal poorly
Communication is critical. Garbled in, garbled out, so to (mis-)speak. Workers who get incomplete instructions produce an incomplete product, and that's exactly what happens with the stem cells in our aging muscles, according to researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Scientists identify blood component that turns bacteria virulent
Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute have discovered the key chemical that signals Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, to become lethal. This finding opens up new avenues of exploration for the development of treatments for bacterial infections.
Shedding light on the 'dark matter' of genetics: New gene-silencing pathway found in plants
(PhysOrg.com) -- Biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have made major headway in explaining a mechanism by which plant cells silence potentially harmful genes.
Battling bacteria in the blood: Researchers tackle deadly infections
It's a leading cause of death, but no one knows for sure how and why it happens. It's a major source of health care costs, adding days or weeks to the hospital stays and lost work time of millions of people. But no one fully understands how best to fight it.
Researchers uncover genetic basis for some birth defects
A multidisciplinary research team at Case Western Reserve University led by Gary Landreth, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Medicine's Department of Neurosciences, has uncovered a common genetic pathway for a number of birth defects that affect the development of the heart and head. Abnormal development of the jaw, palate, brain and heart are relatively common congenital defects and frequently arise due to genetic errors that affect a key developmental pathway.
Signaling between protein, growth factor is critical for coordinated cell migration
The mysterious process that orchestrates cells to move in unison to form human and animal embryos, heal wounds, and even spread cancer depends on interaction between two well-known genetic signaling pathways, two University of Utah medical school researchers have discovered.
Dopamine is key to a parasite’s ability to unite rat and cat, researcher says
(PhysOrg.com) -- Who knew cat urine could be sexy? With a dab here and a dab there, you can have male rats swooning over you.
New research sheds light on key trigger of embryonic stem cell differentiation
Clusters of mouse embryonic stem cells called embryoid bodies more closely approximate true embryos in organization and structure than previously thought, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Harnessing the signals that influence the cells' fate may help researchers more accurately direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells for use in therapy.

News discussion:

Medicine & Health news