Elucidation of the novel mechanism of the fatty acid-induced pancreatic beta-cell proliferation and its application to diabetes treatment

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19724
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 59:Sports sciences, physical education, health sciences, and related fields
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Matsuzaka Takashi 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 教授 (70400679)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: オレイン酸 / リノール酸 / 脂肪毒性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Elucidation of the molecular mechanism of pancreatic beta-cell proliferation is important for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study is to identify the specific fatty acid(s) that activate bete-cell proliferation. We isolated pancreatic islets from mice and treated with various types of fatty acids. We found that oleic acid (C18:1n-9) and linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) strongly stimulated the proliferation of pancreatic beta-cells. We also found that the activation of these fatty acids within beta-cells was necessary for the proliferation of beta-cells and signalling molecule X was involved in this effect.

Free Research Field

代謝内分泌学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

生体における脂肪酸の長期的な投与は膵臓β細胞の増殖を引き起こす一方、場合によっては脂肪毒性を引き起こす可能性があるが「脂肪酸により制御されるβ細胞増殖経路」を選択的にコントロールできれば、脂肪毒性を引き起こすことなく膵臓β細胞量を増加させることが可能となる。本研究の成果は、糖尿病の新しい発症機序の解明や新規糖尿病治療薬の開発に役立つだけではなく、機能性食品の開発、iPS細胞等を利用した再生医療における膵β細胞の効率的な作製への応用も期待される。