Underexpression of β cell high Km glucose transporters in noninsulin-dependent diabetes

John H. Johnson, Atsushi Ogawa, Ling Chen, Lelio Orci, Christopher B. Newgard, Tausif Alam, Roger H Unger

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202 Scopus citations

Abstract

The role of defective glucose transport in the pathogenesis of noninsulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) was examined in Zucker diabetic fatty rats, a model of NIDDM. As in human NIDDM, insulin secretion was unresponsive to 20 mM glucose. Uptake of 3-O-methylglucose by islet cells was less than 19% of controls. The β cell glucose transporter (GLUT-2) immunoreactivity and amount of GLUT-2 messenger RNA were profoundly reduced. Whenever fewer than 60% of β cells were GLUT-2-positive, the response to glucose was absent and hyperglycemia exceeded 11 mM plasma glucose. We conclude that in NIDDM underexpression of GLUT-2 messenger RNA lowers high Km glucose transport in β cells, and thereby impairs glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and prevents correction of hyperglycemia.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)546-549
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume250
Issue number4980
StatePublished - Oct 26 1990

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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