Bears know how to defend against diabetes

Special molecular-biochemical configuration of adipose tissue allow the Grizzlies to accumulate a lot of fat before winter hibernation and it does not ruin your metabolism.





In autumn, bears begin to actively eat the fat, which will help them wait out the winter. But, as we know, gluttony and fat accumulation are typically associated with serious metabolic problems, including type II diabetes. However, bears that, apparently, does not care, and no diabetes they are not threatened. That is, it turns out, they have a special mechanism which allows to get fat without problems in metabolism.

The riddle of the bears decided to unravel researchers from the University of Washington, together with colleagues from the biotech company Amgen. For experiments of Yellowstone national Park has borrowed a few grizzly bears and placed them in the special area where they could feel "at home". To really make sure that grizzly diabetes uneasy, biologists three times a year they took a blood test for insulin: once in October, second in January, during hibernation, and the third time in may, when the animals are already awake. It was found that insulin levels and sugar levels in the blood of bears remains stable.

As you know, patients with diabetes there is resistance to insulin cells stop feeling hormone, and thus no longer absorb glucose from the blood. So one of the first signs that a metabolic that something is wrong – the increase of sugar level in the blood. To check if the Grizzlies lose sensitivity to insulin, they artificially injected hormone before, during and after hibernation. The bears responded to an excess of insulin, with particularly strong reaction from them was in the period before hibernation, when the animals are reminiscent of people with obesity. However, the response to insulin was different – hormone animals almost killed, causing a strong decrease in the level of glucose. That is, no insulin resistance. grizzly has not been, and was, on the contrary, increased sensitivity.

It turned out that the bears in adipose tissue suppressed PTEN protein activity, signaling enzyme that regulates the growth and reproduction of cells. Anomalies in the work of PTEN lead to cancer, but some time ago was able to show that this protein is related to diabetes – if a person PTEN is active enough, then the person may have excess weight, but the metabolism he will stay healthy and diabetes, it will not hurt. It would seem that here is a great tool for diabetes, but the problem is that, if PTEN inactive, there is a threat of a malignant tumor.

But the bears, as we see, give us a new hope, because they are still protected from diabetes associated with overeating, it work signal suppressing enzyme PTEN. The secret, obviously, is that the Grizzlies only inactive PTEN in adipose tissue, and the rest of the body it is fully operational. Perhaps if we learn to regulate the activity of this specific protein in adipose – tissue, finally get effective medicine against type II diabetes. So research on bears is likely to continue – should they tell us how they're so selectively to control his own molecular gastronomy.

Source: nkj.ru