Editor's Pick: Researchers have discovered an enzyme that blocks insulin production in the body, a discovery that may provide a new target for diabetes. The research focused on nitric oxide, a compound that has functions such as dilating blood vessels, improving memory, fighting infections, and stimulating hormone release.Researchers at Case Western Reserve University, one of the top private research universities in the United States, have discovered an enzyme that blocks the production of insulin in the body, a discovery that could provide a new target for diabetes.
Their study, published Dec. 5 in the journal Cell, focused on nitric oxide, a compound with functions such as dilating blood vessels, improving memory, fighting infections and stimulating hormone release. How nitric oxide carries out these activities has always been a mystery.
Researchers have discovered a new "carrier" enzyme called sno-coa-assisted nitrosylase (scan) that attaches nitric oxide to proteins, including receptors for insulin action.
They found that the SCAN enzyme is essential for normal insulin action, but also found that SCAN activity was elevated in diabetic patients and diabetic mice. Mouse models without the SCAN enzyme appear to be unaffected by diabetes, suggesting that too much nitric oxide on proteins may be responsible for these diseases.
Jonathan Stamle, the study's principal investigator, said: "We found that blocking this enzyme could prevent diabetes, but its implications extend to many diseases that may be caused by novel enzymes with the addition of nitric oxide. Blocking this enzyme may provide a new way. ”
Given the findings, he said, the next step could be to develop drugs that target the enzyme.
Many human diseases, including Alzheimer's, cancer, heart failure, and diabetes, are thought to be caused or accelerated by the overbinding of nitric oxide to key proteins. With this discovery, Stamler says, the enzyme attached to nitric oxide has become the center of attention.
With diabetes, the body often stops responding to insulin. The resulting rise in blood sugar stays in the bloodstream and, over time, can lead to serious health problems. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that people with diabetes are more likely to develop conditions such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
But the reason why insulin stopped working is unknown.
Excess nitric oxide has been linked to many diseases, but its ability is limited because the molecule is reactive and cannot be specifically targeted, Stamler says: "This article shows that specialized enzymes mediate many of the effects of nitric oxide. Here we find an enzyme that puts nitric oxide on the insulin receptor to control insulin. Too much enzyme activity can lead to diabetes. But we have reason to believe that many enzymes can act nitric oxide on many proteins, providing new ways to do so. ”
*：case western reserve university
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