CCMB scientists find that 'secretagogin' protein plays a previously unknown role in diabetes

Scientists at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) — Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here have demonstrated the role of a protein secretagogin in increasing insulin action in obesity-induced diabetes.The findings established as a functional insulin-binding protein with therapeutic potential against diabetes, the CCMB said. They show that secretagogin binds to insulin and protects it from various stresses, increases its stability and adds to its action, a CCMB release said on Thursday. It said various kinds of cellular stresses can result in loss of structure and function of insulin, ultimately leading to diabetes.At present, the processes regulating insulin synthesis, maturation, secretion and signaling in diabetes were not completely understood, it said.[caption id="attachment_7687441" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

An image of an immunofluorescence-stained analysis of a rat brain cerebellum section with secretagogin stained in green, calbindin in red, and DNA in blue. Image courtesy: EnCorBio[/caption]Yogendra Sharma from CCMB and his colleagues Anand Sharma, Radhika Khandelwal, and Amrutha Chidananda have demonstrated the role of a protein secretagogin in increasing insulin action in obesity-induced diabetes. The scientists have shown an injection of secretagogin (found at lower levels in diabetic patients) in obese diabetic mice clears excess insulin from circulation and reduces fat mass.Secretagogin treated animals also had lower levels of harmful LDL-cholesterol and lower lipid accumulation in liver cells, it said. These findings were published in the journal iScience.Diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease are often linked with each other. Secretagogin is found in lower quantities in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, it said.In a parallel study, also recently published in Biochemistry, Sharma's group has also shown secretagogin role in preventing the formation of alpha-synuclein protein fibrils a precursor for many neurodegenerative diseases, it said.Secretagogin would soon become a diagnostic marker, and one should check its potential in diabetes management, Sharma said.While studying the calcium-binding properties of secretagogin, CCMB scientists have discovered a novel function of this protein in diabetes biology, yet another example of how quality basic science can lead to valuable applications, Rakesh Mishra, Director, CCMB, said.