{"id":31723,"date":"2013-01-11T06:50:19","date_gmt":"2013-01-11T11:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?post_type=news&p=31723"},"modified":"2015-12-30T04:57:06","modified_gmt":"2015-12-30T09:57:06","slug":"diabetes-research-breakthrough-how-insulin-binds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=31723","title":{"rendered":"Diabetes Research Breakthrough: How Insulin Binds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>For more than 20 years scientists have been trying to solve the mystery of how insulin binds to the\u00a0<\/span>insulin receptor, a discovery which could help improve treatments for both patients with type 1 and type diabetes. It seems that a research team at the\u00a0Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia,\u00a0led by Associate Professor Mike Lawrence, Dr Colin Ward and Dr\u00a0John Menting have now found the answer.<\/p>\n

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The researchers have captured the intricate way in which insulin uses the insulin receptor\u00a0to bind to the surface of cells. This binding is necessary for the cells to take up sugar from the blood as\u00a0energy.<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
Associate Professor Lawrence from the institute\u2019s Structural Biology division said the team was excited\u00a0<\/span>to reveal for the first time a three-dimensional view of insulin bound to its receptor. \u201cUnderstanding\u00a0how insulin interacts with the insulin receptor is fundamental to the development of novel insulins for\u00a0the treatment of diabetes,\u201d Associate Professor Lawrence said. \u201cUntil now we have not been able to\u00a0see how these molecules interact with cells. We can now exploit this knowledge to design new insulin\u00a0<\/span>medications with improved properties, which is very exciting.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
The Australian Synchrotron\u2019s MX2 microcrystallography beamline was critical to the project’s success.\u00a0<\/span>“If we did not have this fantastic facility in Australia and their staff available to help us, we would simply\u00a0not have been able to complete this project,\u201d Associate Professor Lawrence said.<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
Associate Professor Lawrence assembled an international team of project collaborators, including\u00a0<\/span>researchers from Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago, the University of York\u00a0and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague. “Collaborations in this field are\u00a0<\/span>essential,” he said. \u201cNo one laboratory has all the resources, expertise and experience to take on a\u00a0project as difficult as this one.”<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWe have now found that the insulin hormone engages its receptor in a very unusual way,\u201d Associate\u00a0<\/span>Professor Lawrence said. \u201cBoth insulin and its receptor undergo rearrangement as they interact \u2013 a\u00a0piece of insulin folds out and key pieces within the receptor move to engage the insulin hormone. You\u00a0<\/span>might call it a ‘molecular handshake’.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u201cInsulin controls when and how glucose is used in the human body,\u201d Associate Professor Lawrence\u00a0<\/span>said. \u201cThe insulin receptor is a large protein on the surface of cells to which the hormone insulin binds.\u00a0<\/div>\n
The generation of new types of insulin have been limited by our inability to see how insulin docks into\u00a0<\/span>its receptor in the body.<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cInsulin is a key treatment for diabetics, but there are many ways that its properties could potentially be\u00a0<\/span>improved,\u201d Associate Professor Lawrence said. \u201cThis discovery could conceivably lead to new types of\u00a0insulin that could be given in ways other than injection, or an insulin that has improved properties or\u00a0<\/span>longer activity so that it doesn’t need to be taken as often. It may also have ramifications for diabetes\u00a0treatment in developing nations, by creating insulin that is more stable and less likely to degrade when\u00a0<\/span>not kept cold, an angle being pursued by our collaborators. Our findings are a new platform for\u00a0developing these kinds of medications.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[youtube]http:\/\/youtu.be\/DY7avIl3GNg[\/youtube]\n

The project was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the\u00a0Victorian Government, and\u00a0published in the journal Nature.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Source:\u00a0Walter and Eliza Hall Institute<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For more than 20 years scientists have been trying to solve the mystery of how insulin binds to the insulin receptor, a discovery which could help improve treatments for both patients with type 1 and type diabetes. 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