The Maechler group reveals that type 2 diabetes is not just about insulin

Obesity, by promoting the resistance to the action of insulin is a major risk factor of type 2 diabetes.  However, insulin imbalance may not be the only cause of the onset of diabetes.

In their study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists of Prof. Pierre Maechler group have highlighted another mechanism: the liver appears to have the ability to produce a significant amount of glucose outside of any hormonal signal. In patients with excess liver fat, this overproduction of glucose could lead to type 2 diabetes, regardless of hormonal circuits. These results highlight a novel re-reading of the origin of diabetes in overweight patients.

Mitochondria of liver cells by electronic microscopy. On the left, normal mice: mitochondria present an elongated shape. On the right, mice without the OPA1 protein: mitochondria present an altered globular form (from Figure 4 in Li et al. 2019 Journal of Biological Chemistry)

Posted by: Véronique Rosset

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