INSULIN
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Context
- In a study that examined the effect of insulin on liver cells taken from mice, researchers have uncovered how insulin amounts shape the flow of information through the signalling network.
About
- The study also provides insights into the degree to which major and minor components are important in keeping this signalling process intact. This knowledge can direct further studies to identify targets for therapy.
- Insulin is a hormone secreted by the b cells of the pancreas.
- It is commonly associated with an ability to regulate glucose metabolism. However, later studies (from around 1949 until recently) have shown it plays a larger role and helps in growth and maintenance of tissues.
Insulin
- Insulin is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets; it is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body.
- It regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein by promoting the absorption of glucose from the blood into liver, fat and skeletal muscle cells.
- In these tissues the absorbed glucose is converted into either glycogen via glycogenesis or fats (triglycerides) via lipogenesis, or, in the case of the liver, into both.
- Glucose production and secretion by the liver is strongly inhibited by high concentrations of insulin in the blood.
- Circulating insulin also affects the synthesis of proteins in a wide variety of tissues.
- It is therefore an anabolic hormone, promoting the conversion of small molecules in the blood into large molecules inside the cells.
- Low insulin levels in the blood have the opposite effect by promoting widespread catabolism, especially of reserve body fat.
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