Diabetes, Insulin Secretion, and the Pancreatic Beta-Cell Mitochondrion

Abstract

The mitochondrion of the insulin-secreting pancreatic islet cell is a biochemical beehive in which the products of glucose oxidation influence the secretion of insulin. Work with cultured islets has shown that a mitochondrial ion carrier termed uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2 ) affects glucose-stimulated insulin levels. A recent report demonstrated that in mice with a disabled UCP-2 gene, insulin secretion was enhanced and blood levels of glucose were reduced. When the gene was knocked out in ob/ob mice, which are obese, insulin-resistant, and diabetic, insulin secretion increased and the hyperglycemia was ameliorated.