Indian Institute of Science researchers uncover traffic jams inside cells linked to diabetes
Indian Institute of Science
(IISc) has found.
After meals, the body must clear rising blood sugar quickly.
Pancreatic beta cells do this by taking up sugar from the blood and releasing insulin. The entry of sugar is managed by proteins called glucose transporters, which act like gates moving to the cell surface when needed.
Scientists from IISc's department of developmental biology and genetics, led by assistant professor Nikhil Gandasi, discovered that in people with diabetes, this movement slows down — like vehicles stuck in a jam.
Fewer transporters reach the cell surface, blocking sugar entry and weakening the release of insulin.
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Using live-cell imaging, the team watched these "gates" in action. In healthy cells, transporters move smoothly in and out, keeping sugar flow steady. In diabetic cells, however, the system falters, causing a molecular traffic jam. "Most studies look at what happens after sugar enters the cell. We focused on the step before that — the entry itself — and saw how it breaks down in diabetes," Anuma Pallavi, PhD student and first author of the paper, said.
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The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, open up new treatment possibilities. Current drugs target insulin's action in muscles and fat. This study suggests improving glucose "traffic flow" in beta cells themselves could help.
Gandasi's team has also tested a plant-based compound, Pheophorbide A, that boosts insulin release by acting on these transporters. "If we can clear these traffic jams inside cells, we may be able to slow disease progression and design more personalised therapies," Gandasi said.
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