The Role for Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Diabetes Mellitus

Accumulating evidence suggests that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes, contributing to pancreatic -cell loss and insulin resistance. Components of the unfolded protein response (UPR) play a dual role in -cells, acting as beneficial regulators under physiological conditions or as triggers of -cell dysfunction and apoptosis under situations of chronic stress. Novel findings suggest that "what makes a -cell a -cell", i.e., its enormous capacity to synthesize and secrete insulin, is also its Achilles heel, rendering it vulnerable to chronic high glucose and fatty acid exposure, agents that contribute to -cell failure in type 2 diabetes. In this review, we address the…

• EC
  European Commission

  Award: LSHM-CT-2006-518153
• FD
  Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS