Endocrine Abstracts

Glycogen breakdown and synthesis plays a critical role in regulating energy metabolism and glucose homeostasis. Glycogen synthesis is considered to be of major importance for glucose homeostasis, as the conversion of glucose to glycogen is a major fate of glucose ingested in the body. Glycogen synthase (GS), a key enzyme in glycogen synthesis, is activated by the allosteric stimulator glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and by dephosphorylation through inactivation of GS kinase-3 (GSK3)...

Regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis by insulin and glucagon is central to blood glucose homeostasis. It has been proposed that the members of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-related kinases, the salt inducible kinase (SIK) isoforms, may play a role as signalling mediator in the control of insulin- and glucagon-regulated hepatic gluconeogenesis. However, the exact regulation and contribution of SIKs in hepatic gluconeogenesis is largely elusive. Here we employed selective...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that repress protein production post-transcriptionally. MiRNAs play crucial roles in metabolism, endocrine cells development and in processes altered in T2D, such as insulin secretion. MiR-125b controls proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of various cell types, although its role in β-cells remains unclear. Recent studies show an association between high levels of circulating miR-125b and hyperglycaemia (HbA1c) in predi...

Introduction: Pancreatic β-cells control glucose homeostasis by secreting insulin in response to high glucose. MiRNAs regulate β-cell function and contribute to β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes. MiR-184 regulates β-cell compensatory expansion during pregnancy and obesity and its expression is reduced by glucose through unknown mechanisms. AMPK is a suggested target of antidiabetic drugs and an important energy sensor. Its β-cell-selective inactivation...