NEW Zealand scientists have uncovered an insulin regulator in the pancreas that could help those with type 2 diabetes.
University of Auckland researchers studied the protein beta-catenin and found it is crucial for controlling the release of insulin from the pancreas to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Lead researcher Peter Shepherd it's the first time the protein has been associated with insulin release.
"We found that beta-catenin levels not only change in response to rising and falling nutrient levels, but that they also regulate how much insulin is ready for secretion and ensure that we have the right amount of insulin at the right time," Professor Shepherd said.
"It's like the volume control mechanism on your phone or TV."
It is hoped the findings will have broad impact on diabetes and will help those with a genetic susceptibility to the disease.
"We think we've identified a much broader mechanism that affects multiple cell types, not just beta cells in our pancreas," Professor Shepherd said.
"This discovery potentially opens up a whole new drug discovery field to understand how we could manipulate beta-catenin levels to control the release of insulin."
The findings were published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
