GLUT2 glucose transporter mRNA has been shown to be underexpressed in pancreatic islets of numerous animal models of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). It has been proposed that this molecular defect contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes, although information concerning the expression of GLUT2 in human pancreatic islet tissue is lacking. In contrast to the high abundance of GLUT2 in rat islets, human islets were found to express distinctly low levels of this glucose transporter mRNA and protein. Thus, a sensitive competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay was developed to quantify human GLUT2 mRNA. We obtained pancreases from 4 human organ donors with previously diagnosed NIDDM and 11 nondiabetic donors and found no significant differences in GLUT2 mRNA between the two groups. GLUT2 mRNA was 0.24 ± 0.08 amol/μg RNA (mean ± SE) in pancreases from humans with diabetes and 0.27 ± 0.06 amol/μg RNA in those without this diagnosis. Similarly, human pancreatic islet GLUT2 protein was measured by immunoblot and found to be present at similar levels in two individuals with diabetes relative to six control samples. These results thus demonstrate the existence of species differences in the abundance of islet GLUT2 mRNA and protein. Furthermore, the analysis of isletGLUT2 in a small sample of human organ donors with and without diabetes raises the possibility that decreased β-cell GLUT2 may not represent a widespread feature of humans with NIDDM.
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Original Articles|
December 01 1995
Pancreatic Islet GLUT2 Glucose Transporter mRNA and Protein Expression in Humans With and Without NIDDM
Jorge Ferrer;
Jorge Ferrer
Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, University of Barcelona School of Medicine, Hospital Clinic
Barcelona, Spain
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Carmen Benito;
Carmen Benito
Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, University of Barcelona School of Medicine, Hospital Clinic
Barcelona, Spain
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Ramon Gomis
Ramon Gomis
Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, University of Barcelona School of Medicine, Hospital Clinic
Barcelona, Spain
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Ramon Gomis, Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Hospital Clinic, Villarroel 170, Barcelona 08036, Spain.
1
NIDDM, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; RT, reverse transcription; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate.
Diabetes 1995;44(12):1369–1374
Article history
Received:
February 13 1995
Revision Received:
August 22 1995
Accepted:
August 22 1995
PubMed:
7589840
Citation
Jorge Ferrer, Carmen Benito, Ramon Gomis; Pancreatic Islet GLUT2 Glucose Transporter mRNA and Protein Expression in Humans With and Without NIDDM. Diabetes 1 December 1995; 44 (12): 1369–1374. https://doi.org/10.2337/diab.44.12.1369
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