Taiwanese researchers have identified a gene that they say might help doctors treat diabetes.
A study by a research team at Academia Sinica’s Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center showed that the expression of protein disulfide isomerase family A member 4 (PDIA4) is linked to diabetes.
The research was published in this month’s issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine, an open-source, peer-reviewed scientific journal based in Europe.
Photo courtesy of Yang Wen-chin
When people — or mice, which also carry PDIA4 — are overnourished, expression of the protein-coding gene increases in the beta cells of the pancreas, the study said.
This triggers a process that leads to metabolic stress and eventual death of the pancreatic cells that secrete insulin, resulting in diabetes, it said.
Removing the gene from diabetic mice alleviates their condition in a number of ways, including lessening the destruction of pancreatic cells, lowering blood sugar levels and increasing insulin secretion, it said.
Eliminating the gene can sometimes fully reverse diabetes in mice, which might occur without intervention or in combination with a reduced diet, the study said.
In addition, the scientists created a PDIA4 inhibitor they call PS1 that suppresses the progression of diabetes in mice, it said.
These findings show that the PDIA4 gene could be the key in the search for a cure for diabetes, it said.
Lead researcher Yang Wen-chin (楊文欽), a research fellow at the center, on Thursday said that the gene has the potential to become the first-ever therapeutic treatment for diabetes, should it pass clinical trials.
Ministry of Health and Welfare data show that 9.8 percent of Taiwanese have diabetes, while the National Health Insurance pays NT$30 billion (US$1.08 billion) annually in medical expenses related to the condition.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS