Home LiteratureArticle Details
PMID: 22424227 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

Diabetes mellitus and the β cell: the last ten years.

Cell ·Vol. 148 ·No. 6 ·2012-03-16 ·Pages 1160-71

Ashcroft FM, Rorsman P

Abstract

Diabetes is a major global problem. During the past decade, the genetic basis of various monogenic forms of the disease, and their underlying molecular mechanisms, have been elucidated. Many genes that increase type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk have also been identified, but how they do so remains enigmatic. Nevertheless, defective insulin secretion emerges as the main culprit in both monogenic and polygenic diabetes, with environmental and lifestyle factors, via obesity, accounting for the current dramatic increase in T2DM. There also have been significant advances in therapy, particularly for some monogenic disorders. We review here what ails the β cell and how its function may be restored.

MeSH Terms
Animals Diabetes Mellitus/genetics,metabolism Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy,genetics,pathology Diet Humans Insulin-Secreting Cells/cytology,metabolism,pathology
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Ashcroft Frances M
Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, Henry Wellcome Centre for Gene Function, University of Oxford, Sherrington Building, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK. frances.ashcroft@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Rorsman Patrik
References (83)
83 references, click to expand
  1. SUR1 regulates PKA-independent cAMP-induced granule priming in mouse pancreatic B-cells.
    J Gen Physiol. 2003 Mar;121(3):181-97 PMID: 12601083
  2. Mechanisms facilitating weight loss and resolution of type 2 diabetes following bariatric surgery.
    Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Jun;21(6):337-44 PMID: 20133150
  3. Expression of an activating mutation in the gene encoding the KATP channel subunit Kir6.2 in mouse pancreatic beta cells recapitulates neonatal diabetes.
    J Clin Invest. 2009 Jan;119(1):80-90 PMID: 19065048
  4. Insulin granule dynamics in pancreatic beta cells.
    Diabetologia. 2003 Aug;46(8):1029-45 PMID: 12879249
  5. Type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene expression in normal or diabetic sorted human alpha and beta cells: correlations with age or BMI of islet donors.
    PLoS One. 2010 Jun 10;5(6):e11053 PMID: 20548773
  6. Transcription factor 7-like 2 regulates beta-cell survival and function in human pancreatic islets.
    Diabetes. 2008 Mar;57(3):645-53 PMID: 18071026
  7. Permanent neonatal diabetes caused by dominant, recessive, or compound heterozygous SUR1 mutations with opposite functional effects.
    Am J Hum Genet. 2007 Aug;81(2):375-82 PMID: 17668386
  8. Human and rat beta cells differ in glucose transporter but not in glucokinase gene expression.
    J Clin Invest. 1995 Nov;96(5):2489-95 PMID: 7593639
  9. Activating mutations in the gene encoding the ATP-sensitive potassium-channel subunit Kir6.2 and permanent neonatal diabetes.
    N Engl J Med. 2004 Apr 29;350(18):1838-49 PMID: 15115830
  10. Mutations in ATP-sensitive K+ channel genes cause transient neonatal diabetes and permanent diabetes in childhood or adulthood.
    Diabetes. 2007 Jul;56(7):1930-7 PMID: 17446535
  11. Similar reduction of first- and second-phase B-cell responses at three different glucose levels in type II diabetes and the effect of gliclazide therapy.
    Metabolism. 1989 Aug;38(8):767-72 PMID: 2668699
  12. Molecular physiology of glucagon-like peptide-1 insulin secretagogue action in pancreatic β cells.
    Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 2011 Nov;107(2):236-47 PMID: 21782840
  13. Variants in KCNQ1 are associated with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus.
    Nat Genet. 2008 Sep;40(9):1092-7 PMID: 18711367
  14. Recessive mutations in the INS gene result in neonatal diabetes through reduced insulin biosynthesis.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Feb 16;107(7):3105-10 PMID: 20133622
  15. Beta-cell lipotoxicity in the pathogenesis of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus of obese rats: impairment in adipocyte-beta-cell relationships.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 Nov 8;91(23):10878-82 PMID: 7971976
  16. The immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome (IPEX) is caused by mutations of FOXP3.
    Nat Genet. 2001 Jan;27(1):20-1 PMID: 11137993
  17. Neonatal diabetes mellitus due to complete glucokinase deficiency.
    N Engl J Med. 2001 May 24;344(21):1588-92 PMID: 11372010
  18. Genetic cause of hyperglycaemia and response to treatment in diabetes.
    Lancet. 2003 Oct 18;362(9392):1275-81 PMID: 14575972
  19. Clinical and molecular genetics of neonatal diabetes due to mutations in the insulin gene.
    Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2010 Sep;11(3):205-15 PMID: 20938745
  20. Mutations in GLIS3 are responsible for a rare syndrome with neonatal diabetes mellitus and congenital hypothyroidism.
    Nat Genet. 2006 Jun;38(6):682-7 PMID: 16715098
  21. Insulin crystallization depends on zinc transporter ZnT8 expression, but is not required for normal glucose homeostasis in mice.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 1;106(35):14872-7 PMID: 19706465
  22. Proliferation of sorted human and rat beta cells.
    Diabetologia. 2008 Jan;51(1):91-100 PMID: 17994216
  23. Islet amyloid: a complication of islet dysfunction or an aetiological factor in Type 2 diabetes?
    Diabetologia. 2004 Feb;47(2):157-69 PMID: 14722650
  24. Exendin-4 stimulates both beta-cell replication and neogenesis, resulting in increased beta-cell mass and improved glucose tolerance in diabetic rats.
    Diabetes. 1999 Dec;48(12):2270-6 PMID: 10580413
  25. 6q24 transient neonatal diabetes.
    Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2010 Sep;11(3):199-204 PMID: 20922569
  26. Genomics, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
    N Engl J Med. 2010 Dec 9;363(24):2339-50 PMID: 21142536
  27. Impaired glucose homeostasis in transgenic mice expressing the human transient neonatal diabetes mellitus locus, TNDM.
    J Clin Invest. 2004 Aug;114(3):339-48 PMID: 15286800
  28. Functional and molecular defects of pancreatic islets in human type 2 diabetes.
    Diabetes. 2005 Mar;54(3):727-35 PMID: 15734849
  29. Glucolipotoxicity: fuel excess and beta-cell dysfunction.
    Endocr Rev. 2008 May;29(3):351-66 PMID: 18048763
  30. Consistency of the disposition index in the face of diet induced insulin resistance: potential role of FFA.
    PLoS One. 2011 Mar 30;6(3):e18134 PMID: 21479217
  31. The cAMP sensor Epac2 is a direct target of antidiabetic sulfonylurea drugs.
    Science. 2009 Jul 31;325(5940):607-10 PMID: 19644119
  32. Clinical implications of a molecular genetic classification of monogenic beta-cell diabetes.
    Nat Clin Pract Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Apr;4(4):200-13 PMID: 18301398
  33. Glibenclamide treatment in permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus due to an activating mutation in Kir6.2.
    J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Nov;89(11):5504-7 PMID: 15531505
  34. Mutations in PTF1A cause pancreatic and cerebellar agenesis.
    Nat Genet. 2004 Dec;36(12):1301-5 PMID: 15543146
  35. A sustained increase in plasma free fatty acids impairs insulin secretion in nondiabetic subjects genetically predisposed to develop type 2 diabetes.
    Diabetes. 2003 Oct;52(10):2461-74 PMID: 14514628
  36. Progression of diet-induced diabetes in C57BL6J mice involves functional dissociation of Ca2(+) channels from secretory vesicles.
    Diabetes. 2010 May;59(5):1192-201 PMID: 20150285
  37. Chronic palmitate exposure inhibits insulin secretion by dissociation of Ca(2+) channels from secretory granules.
    Cell Metab. 2009 Dec;10(6):455-65 PMID: 19945403
  38. Minimal model: perspective from 2005.
    Horm Res. 2005;64 Suppl 3:8-15 PMID: 16439839
  39. Pancreatic fat content and beta-cell function in men with and without type 2 diabetes.
    Diabetes Care. 2007 Nov;30(11):2916-21 PMID: 17666465
  40. Changes in glucose homeostasis after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery for obesity at day three, two months, and one year after surgery: role of gut peptides.
    J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Jul;96(7):2227-35 PMID: 21543426
  41. Mechanisms by which common variants in the TCF7L2 gene increase risk of type 2 diabetes.
    J Clin Invest. 2007 Aug;117(8):2155-63 PMID: 17671651
  42. DPP-4 inhibitor therapy: new directions in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
    Front Biosci. 2008 Jan 01;13:1780-94 PMID: 17981667
  43. Cell cycle control of β-cell replication in the prenatal and postnatal human pancreas.
    Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Jan;300(1):E221-30 PMID: 20978233
  44. Assessing the potential of glucokinase activators in diabetes therapy.
    Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2009 May;8(5):399-416 PMID: 19373249
  45. Activating mutations in Kir6.2 and neonatal diabetes: new clinical syndromes, new scientific insights, and new therapy.
    Diabetes. 2005 Sep;54(9):2503-13 PMID: 16123337
  46. Update on mutations in glucokinase (GCK), which cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young, permanent neonatal diabetes, and hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia.
    Hum Mutat. 2009 Nov;30(11):1512-26 PMID: 19790256
  47. Overexpression of alpha2A-adrenergic receptors contributes to type 2 diabetes.
    Science. 2010 Jan 8;327(5962):217-20 PMID: 19965390
  48. Identification of a novel mutation in the GLUT2 gene in a patient with Fanconi-Bickel syndrome presenting with neonatal diabetes mellitus and galactosaemia.
    Eur J Pediatr. 2002 Jun;161(6):351-3 PMID: 12029458
  49. Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol.
    Diabetologia. 2011 Oct;54(10):2506-14 PMID: 21656330
  50. EIF2AK3, encoding translation initiation factor 2-alpha kinase 3, is mutated in patients with Wolcott-Rallison syndrome.
    Nat Genet. 2000 Aug;25(4):406-9 PMID: 10932183
  51. Pancreatic beta-cell mass in European subjects with type 2 diabetes.
    Diabetes Obes Metab. 2008 Nov;10 Suppl 4:32-42 PMID: 18834431
  52. Voltage-gated ion channels in human pancreatic beta-cells: electrophysiological characterization and role in insulin secretion.
    Diabetes. 2008 Jun;57(6):1618-28 PMID: 18390794
  53. The physiology of glucagon-like peptide 1.
    Physiol Rev. 2007 Oct;87(4):1409-39 PMID: 17928588
  54. Update of mutations in the genes encoding the pancreatic beta-cell K(ATP) channel subunits Kir6.2 (KCNJ11) and sulfonylurea receptor 1 (ABCC8) in diabetes mellitus and hyperinsulinism.
    Hum Mutat. 2009 Feb;30(2):170-80 PMID: 18767144
  55. Defective pancreatic beta-cell glycolytic signaling in hepatocyte nuclear factor-1alpha-deficient mice.
    J Biol Chem. 1998 Sep 18;273(38):24457-64 PMID: 9733737
  56. Mitochondrial function in normal and diabetic beta-cells.
    Nature. 2001 Dec 13;414(6865):807-12 PMID: 11742413
  57. No beta cell desensitisation after a median of 68 months on glibenclamide therapy in patients with KCNJ11-associated permanent neonatal diabetes.
    Diabetologia. 2011 Oct;54(10):2736-8 PMID: 21822789
  58. Insulin gene mutations as a cause of permanent neonatal diabetes.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Sep 18;104(38):15040-4 PMID: 17855560
  59. Lipid receptors and islet function: therapeutic implications?
    Diabetes Obes Metab. 2009 Nov;11 Suppl 4:10-20 PMID: 19817784
  60. Large-scale association studies of variants in genes encoding the pancreatic beta-cell KATP channel subunits Kir6.2 (KCNJ11) and SUR1 (ABCC8) confirm that the KCNJ11 E23K variant is associated with type 2 diabetes.
    Diabetes. 2003 Feb;52(2):568-72 PMID: 12540637
  61. Pancreatic agenesis attributable to a single nucleotide deletion in the human IPF1 gene coding sequence.
    Nat Genet. 1997 Jan;15(1):106-10 PMID: 8988180
  62. Partial pancreatectomy in adult humans does not provoke beta-cell regeneration.
    Diabetes. 2008 Jan;57(1):142-9 PMID: 17959931
  63. A mutation in the insulin 2 gene induces diabetes with severe pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction in the Mody mouse.
    J Clin Invest. 1999 Jan;103(1):27-37 PMID: 9884331
  64. Weight and type 2 diabetes after bariatric surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis.
    Am J Med. 2009 Mar;122(3):248-256.e5 PMID: 19272486
  65. Muscle dysfunction caused by a KATP channel mutation in neonatal diabetes is neuronal in origin.
    Science. 2010 Jul 23;329(5990):458-61 PMID: 20595581
  66. Blockade of interleukin 1 in type 1 diabetes mellitus.
    Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2010 Mar;6(3):158-66 PMID: 20173777
  67. Five stages of evolving beta-cell dysfunction during progression to diabetes.
    Diabetes. 2004 Dec;53 Suppl 3:S16-21 PMID: 15561905
  68. Fatty acid metabolism and insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells.
    Diabetologia. 2003 Oct;46(10):1297-312 PMID: 13680127
  69. A genome-wide association study identifies novel risk loci for type 2 diabetes.
    Nature. 2007 Feb 22;445(7130):881-5 PMID: 17293876
  70. Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus caused by a novel homozygous (T168A) glucokinase (GCK) mutation: initial response to oral sulphonylurea therapy.
    J Pediatr. 2008 Jul;153(1):122-6 PMID: 18571549
  71. Switching from insulin to oral sulfonylureas in patients with diabetes due to Kir6.2 mutations.
    N Engl J Med. 2006 Aug 3;355(5):467-77 PMID: 16885550
  72. Improved motor development and good long-term glycaemic control with sulfonylurea treatment in a patient with the syndrome of intermediate developmental delay, early-onset generalised epilepsy and neonatal diabetes associated with the V59M mutation in the KCNJ11 gene.
    Diabetologia. 2006 Nov;49(11):2559-63 PMID: 17047922
  73. The emerging genetics of type 2 diabetes.
    Trends Mol Med. 2010 Sep;16(9):407-16 PMID: 20728409
  74. Rfx6 directs islet formation and insulin production in mice and humans.
    Nature. 2010 Feb 11;463(7282):775-80 PMID: 20148032
  75. SNARE conformational changes that prepare vesicles for exocytosis.
    Cell Metab. 2010 Jul 7;12(1):19-29 PMID: 20620992
  76. The role of the KATP channel in glucose homeostasis in health and disease: more than meets the islet.
    J Physiol. 2010 Sep 1;588(Pt 17):3201-9 PMID: 20519313
  77. The long lifespan and low turnover of human islet beta cells estimated by mathematical modelling of lipofuscin accumulation.
    Diabetologia. 2010 Feb;53(2):321-30 PMID: 19855953
  78. Sulfonylurea improves CNS function in a case of intermediate DEND syndrome caused by a mutation in KCNJ11.
    Nat Clin Pract Neurol. 2007 Nov;3(11):640-5 PMID: 17982434
  79. KATP channel mutations in infants with permanent diabetes diagnosed after 6 months of life.
    Pediatr Diabetes. 2012 Jun;13(4):322-5 PMID: 21981029
  80. Pancreatic ectopic fat is characterized by adipocyte infiltration and altered lipid composition.
    Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008 Mar;16(3):522-30 PMID: 18239594
  81. Transcriptional networks controlling pancreatic development and beta cell function.
    Diabetologia. 2004 Apr;47(4):597-613 PMID: 15298336
  82. The importance of caloric restriction in the early improvements in insulin sensitivity after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.
    Diabetes Care. 2010 Jul;33(7):1438-42 PMID: 20368410
  83. Beta-cell deficit and increased beta-cell apoptosis in humans with type 2 diabetes.
    Diabetes. 2003 Jan;52(1):102-10 PMID: 12502499
Article Info
Journal
Cell
Abbr.
Cell
ISSN
1097-4172
Published
2012-03-16
Pages
1160-71
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0413066
PMCID
PMC5890906
Subset
IM
Grants
Wellcome Trust · United Kingdom
Wellcome Trust · 084655 · United Kingdom
Wellcome Trust · 095531 · United Kingdom
Medical Research Council · G0801995 · United Kingdom
Analysis Services
Analysis Services

Contact

No. 2 Wenbo Road, Zhangqiu District, Jinan, Shandong

Qilu Normal University · Genelibs Bioinformatics Lab

750 Shunhua Rd, Jinan

2F, Bldg F, University Science Park

Tel: 0531-88819269

WeChat Official Account

Follow our WeChat subscription account for real-time updates and the latest in medical and biological research.


Business Email

E-mail: product@genelibs.com