Browsing by Subject "Bad"

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    PAK1 limits the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bad in pancreatic islet β-cells
    (Elsevier, 2012-09-08) Wang, Zhanxiang; Thurmond, Debbie C.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Human type 2 diabetes is associated with β-cell apoptosis, and human islets from diabetic donors are ∼80% deficient in PAK1 protein. Toward addressing linkage of PAK1 to β-cell survival, PAK1-siRNA targeted MIN6 pancreatic β-cells were found to exhibit increased caspase-3 cleavage, cytosolic cytochrome-C and the pro-apoptotic protein Bad. PAK1(+/-) heterozygous mouse islets recapitulated the upregulation of Bad protein expression, as did hyperglycemic treatment of human or mouse islets; Bad levels were exacerbated most in PAK1(+/-) islets subjected to hyperglycemic stress. These data implicate PAK1 in β-cell survival via quenching of Bad protein expression, and suggest PAK1 as potential molecular target to preserve β-cell mass.