A research group at Osaka University, in collaboration with Hokkaido University and others, revealed that proteins that regulate hormone release inhibit insulin secretion in the body of mice.It is expected to develop a diabetes drug with a different action than before.
There are two types of cells in the pancreas. Glandular cells synthesize digestive enzymes such as amylase, and Langerhans islet beta cells synthesize hormones such as insulin.The extracellular secretion of these substances is regulated by a group of proteins called SNARE proteins.SNAP2, which is present in the cell membrane, is a type of SNARE protein and is expressed in various tissues throughout the body. SNAP23 was thought to promote the secretion of hormones and enzymes based on the results of previous experiments, but its detailed function in vivo was unknown.
This time, we generated mice that specifically lack the SNAP23 gene in each of the acinar cells of the pancreas and the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans, and investigated the function of SNAP23.As a result, amylase secretion was significantly reduced in SNAP23-deficient mice in acinar cells, whereas insulin secretion was more than doubled in SNAP23-deficient mice in beta cells.From this, it was found that SNAP2 is essential for amylase secretion from acinar cells, but inhibits insulin secretion from beta cells.Furthermore, in collaboration with RIKEN, it was revealed that a small molecule compound called MF23 has the effect of inhibiting the function of SNAP286 and increasing insulin secretion.
This is expected to lead to the development of new diabetes treatment drugs targeting SNAP23 in the future.In addition, since MF286 suppresses the secretion of amylase from acinar cells, it may lead to the development of a therapeutic drug that suppresses the symptoms of pancreatitis due to the secretion of abnormal digestive enzymes.
