Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals have uncovered a novel cause of diabetes development—an enzyme disrupting insulin production. This discovery opens avenues for potential diabetes treatment, suggesting a promising target for a cure.
This study offers insight on the diverse functions of nitric oxide in the body, including blood vessel dilation, memory enhancement, infection defense, and hormone release stimulation. Despite its known versatility, the underlying mechanisms behind these effects have been a longstanding mystery until this research.
Researchers led by Stamler identified the enzyme SNO-CoA-assisted nitrosylase (SCAN) that attaches nitric oxide to proteins, influencing insulin response. SCAN’s overactivity in diabetic patients implies a potential role in diabetes development. In mouse models lacking SCAN showed resistance to diabetes, suggesting excessive nitric oxide on proteins may trigger the disease.
Blocking this specific enzyme, as per lead researcher Jonathan Stamler from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, prevents diabetes and may have broader implications for diseases linked to novel nitric oxide-adding enzymes. Inhibiting this enzyme could present a novel treatment approach for various conditions beyond diabetes.
Scientists emphasize the significance of new findings related to nitric oxide’s impact on diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart failure, cancer, and diabetes. Excessive nitric oxide binding to crucial proteins may contribute to disease development. Targeting nitric oxide has been challenging due to its reactivity and lack of specificity. Diabetes, characterized by improper insulin response, elevates blood sugar levels, leading to serious health issues.
The prolonged mystery of insulin ineffectiveness in medical research is addressed in a recent study revealing the SCAN enzyme’s crucial role in attaching nitric oxide to proteins. This discovery offers a new outlook on potential treatment approaches for diabetes and related conditions by highlighting the enzyme’s impact on insulin receptors and proposing broader applications in treating various diseases through nitric oxide modulation.
Hualin Zhou and Richard Premont collaborated on research at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and University Hospitals, along with students Zack Grimmett and Nicholas Venetos from the university’s Medical Scientist Training Program.