Subsequent to our earlier report on the first purification of antiquitin protein from seabream liver and demonstration of its enzymatic activity [FEBS Letters 516 (2002) 183-186], we report herein the cloning of its full-length cDNA sequence. The open reading frame encodes a protein of 511 amino aci...

Recently, a defect in pertussis toxin-independent actions of epinephrine on pancreatic B-cells of fa/fa Zucker rats was reported (Cawthorn and Chan (1991) Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 75, 197-204). We now report studies of islet alpha 2-adrenoceptor function of fa/fa rats. Insulin and cAMP production by i...

Rat adrenomedullin is a peptide vasodepressor that may be of importance in the pathogenesis of hypertensive disease. Because of the known link between obesity and hypertension, we hypothesized that decreased responsiveness to adrenomedullin might be seen in an obese rodent model. In this study, the ...

Mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), which contributes substantially to the regulation of normal mitochondrial metabolism, also plays a crucial role in the initiation of cell death. It is known that MPT is regulated in a tissue-specific manner. The importance of MPT in the pancreatic beta-ce...

The insulin receptor (IR) and its signaling appear to be essential for insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. However, much less is known about the role of the IR in alpha-cells. To assess the role of the IR in glucagon and insulin secretion, we engineered adeno-viruses for high efficiency sm...

Oligonucleotide microarrays were used to define oleic acid (OA)-regulated gene expression and proteomic technology to screen protein kinases in MIN6 insulinoma cells. The effects of oxidative stress caused by OA and potential protective effects of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a scavenger of reactive o...

The effect of massive small bowel resection (MSBR) and jejuno-ileal bypass (JIB) on the enteroinsular axis in rats was compared. Glucose levels after an oral glucose tolerance test were determined in MSBR, JIB and control animals. The response of the beta-cell mass to glucose and gastric inhibitory ...

Hyperproinsulinemia is observed in type 2 diabetic patients. We hypothesized that the induction of uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) would impair processing of proinsulin to mature insulin and potentially contribute to hyperproinsulinemia, based on the evidence that hormone processing is an ATP-dependent ...

We have recently cloned the full-length cDNAs of the two growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) subtypes from a teleost species, the black seabream (Acanthopagrus schlegeli) [Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 214 (2004) 81], namely sbGHSR-1a and sbGHSR-1b. Functional expression of these two receptor const...

A full-length clone of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) was isolated from a cDNA library constructed from the liver of black seabream (Acanthopagrus schlegeli). The seabream GHR (sbGHR) cDNA sequence encodes a transmembrane protein of 640 amino acids (aa) possessing the characteristic motifs and ar...

Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) may act as an important regulator of insulin secretion. In this study, beta-cell function in UCP2-deficient mice was examined after a 45% high-fat diet (HFD) to assess its role during the development of diet-induced type 2 diabetes. HFD-fed UCP2 (-/-) mice have lower fast...

Stressors such as chronic hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia may lead to insufficient insulin secretion in susceptible individuals, contributing to type 2 diabetes. The molecules mediating this effect are just beginning to be identified. Uncoupling protein (UCP)-2 may be one such negative modulator of ...