A team of Japanese scientists has linked a gene with the development of diabetes due to the intake of fatty foods because it believes the treatment of the disease with a drug for gastric ulcers, according to the Mainichi newspaper today.
The group, led by Professor Nobutaka Hirokawa, worked with mice and will have to investigate from now on the possible applications of these achievements in humans.
Mice were used to study motor proteins and the team proved that the pancreas and kidneys contain large amounts of the Kif12 gene, of the Kinesinas family and whose function was apparently unknown so far.
When the researchers deactivated the Kif12 genes, the cellular functions of the pancreas to secrete insulin (which regulates the blood sugar level) were affected, which led to the development of diabetes.
The same organelle (the cell unit in charge of this function) was also deactivated when the researchers fed the mice with rich food in fatty ingredients.
Based on these findings, the team administered a pharmaceutical compound for two weeks to treat gastric ulcers, mice.
After treatment, they segregated almost the same amount of insulin as normal mice.
"Human beings also have Kif12 genes. Based on these findings, we would like to examine whether tension could be used as a curative and preventive medicine for diabetes, and also try to develop a more effective drug jointly together with pharmaceutical companies," Hirokawa told the newspaperMainichi.
