Tuesday, 22 June 2010

In Europe, more than 30 million people are affected by diabetes mellitus. Approximately 80 % of the patients suffer from type 1 diabetes, then 15 % develop a type 2 diabetes. The key element of these two forms of diabetes  is a decrease of beta cells mass, which is due to an increase of beta cells apoptosis. Cytokines IL-1 ß and IFN- ? contribute to the death of pancreatic ß cells in type 1 diabetes.

Mechanisms by which beta cells apoptosis is activated need to be more specifically defined. In two articles published by Dr Esteban Gurzov and Pr Eizirik from the Experimental Medicine Laboratory (Faculty of Medicine, ULB), in association with colleagues from ULB, Pisa and Pitsburgh (USA),it was demonstrated that beta cells death induced by cytokines is arbitrated, at least partially, by two pro-apoptotic proteins which act at the level of mitochondria, namely DP5 and PUMA. These observations give answers concerning the mechanism by which cytokines infer beta cells death and the signal nature which "convinces" a differentiated cell to activate apoptosis..

 Source: ULB