The researchers found that the RNA binding protein G3BP1, which is downregulated in pancreatic islets of T2D patients compared to normoglycemic donors, compartmentalizes insulin mRNA into cytosolic condensates under fasting conditions. Consequently, when cells are exposed to stimulating glucose concentrations (i.e., blood glucose levels after a meal), these intracellular condensates dissolve, thus enabling immediate insulin mRNA translation into the insulin hormone. This research, recently published in EMBO Journal, provides novel insights about the storage of insulin mRNA, which has been enigmatic in the field for many years, and raises the possibility that this process may be impaired in patients with T2D.
New Insights into How Insulin mRNA is Stored in Beta Cells During Resting Blood-Glucose Levels
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© Quesada et al., 2005, EMBO J. created with Biorender.com
