Low alpha-synuclein levels in the blood are associated with insulin resistance.
|
| Abstract |
Mutations in the protein alpha-synuclein (SNCA) have been linked to Parkinson's disease. We recently reported that non-mutated SNCA enhanced glucose uptake through the Gab1-PI3 kinase-Akt pathway and elucidated its effects on glucose regulation. Here, we examined the association of SNCA with insulin resistance (IR), a condition that is characterized by decreased tissue glucose uptake. Our observations include those from a population study as well as a SNCA-deficient mouse model, which had not previously been characterized in an IR scenario. In 1,152 patients, we found that serum SNCA levels were inversely correlated with IR indicators--body mass index, homeostatic model assessment for IR (HOMA-IR) and immunoreactive insulin (IRI)--and, to a lesser extent, with blood pressure and age. Additionally, SNCA-deficient mice displayed alterations in glucose and insulin responses during diet-induced IR. Moreover, during euglycemic clamp assessments, SNCA knock-out mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) showed severe IR in adipose tissues and skeletal muscle. These findings provide new insights into IR and diabetes and point to SNCA as a potential candidate for further research.
|
|---|---|
| Authors | Gerardo Rodriguez-Araujo, Hironori Nakagami, Yoichi Takami, Tomohiro Katsuya, Hiroshi Akasaka, Shigeyuki Saitoh, Kazuaki Shimamoto, Ryuichi Morishita, Hiromi Rakugi, Yasufumi Kaneda |
| Journal | Scientific reports (Sci Rep) Vol. 5 Pg. 12081 (Jul 10 2015) ISSN: 2045-2322 [Electronic] England |
| PMID | 26159928 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Observational Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't) |
| Chemical References |
|
| Topics |
|
Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!