Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells

[Pro-Humanist FREELOVER]

- - -

Insulin? The following offers a clue into
the complexity of what transpires with
insulin. Unfortunately, the word "glucose"
does not appear in this report, -and- the
phrase "blood sugar" appears once, fol-
lowed by the word "sugar" in the follow-
ing paragraph:

"... First discovered in 1921, the insulin
hormone plays a very important role in
the body because it helps us lower blood
sugar after a meal, by enabling the move-
ment of sugar from the blood into cells.
Until now, although scientists have under-
stood the purpose of insulin at a broad
level, they have struggled to understand
exactly how it achieves its task. ..."

The report touches on some aspects of
how insulin works in persons with a fully
functional pancreas. Since the areas of
hypoglycemia, exogenous insulin gues-
sing, unconsciousness, and severe low
glucose death are not addressed, I sus-
pect the following will only lead those of
us with Insulinitis (old name: type 1 dia-
betes) to surmise that however dazzling
that the insulin impact appears to be to
the author of the following report ...

... we would be much more likely to be
dazzled by an insulin which possessed
the dazzling impact of being "smart"
enough to keep glucose levels normal
(between 70 and 120) at all times,
something that all current versions of
exogenous insulin (which everyone with
Insulinitis is forced to depend on for our
survival) does not do.

- - -
Aside

Reference to a recent report on a pos-
sible new "smart" insulin (requires being
logged on to google to access):

Nanotechnology -- Key to Near-Cure for Insulinitis?
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!topic/misc.health.diabetes/9ma2LXYYJdQ

End Aside
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- - -
May 21, 2013

at http://www.sciencecodex.com:
http://tinyurl.com/dazzling-impact-of-insulin
- - -

Excerpts [with inserts, not part of original
article, included in brackets]:

Australian scientists have charted the path
of insulin action in cells in precise detail like
never before. This provides a comprehensive
blueprint for understanding what goes wrong
in ... [the various conditions which entail glu-
cose levels being lower than normal due to
treatment or due to having HUT (Hypogly-
cemia Uncaused by Treatment for any High
Glucose Condition) or, in the case of any
of the High Glucose Conditions, being higher
than normal].

The breakthrough study ... is now published
in the early online edition of the prestigious
journal Cell Metabolism.

First discovered in 1921, the insulin hormone
plays a very important role in the body because
it helps us lower blood sugar [glucose] after
a meal, by enabling the movement of sugar
[glucose] from the blood into cells. Until now,
although scientists have understood the pur-
pose of insulin at a broad level, they have
struggled to understand exactly how it
achieves its task.

The latest analytical devices called mass
spectrometers now provide the tool that has
been missing – the means of looking into the
vastly complex molecular maze that exists in
every single cell in the human body.

These powerful devices have opened up a
field known as 'proteomics', the study of
proteins on a very large scale. Proteins
represent the working parts of cells, using
energy to perform all essential functions ...

Each cell houses multiple copies of between
10,000 and 12,000 protein types, which
communicate with each other using various
methods, the most common of which is a
process known as 'phosphorylation'. Phos-
phate molecules are deliberately added to
proteins in order to convey information, or
else change the protein's function.

Each of the protein types in a cell has up
to 20 potential 'phosphorylation sites', regions
to which a phosphate molecule can be added.
This pushes the total number of possible cell
states from one moment to the next into the
billions.

The authors discovered 37,248 phosphoryla-
tion sites on 5,705 different proteins, 15% of
which changed in response to insulin.

"Until this study, we did not really appreciate
the scale and complexity of insulin regulation,"
said lab leader Professor David James.

"When insulin is released from the pancreas
after we eat, it travels to cells and initiates
a cascade of protein phosphorylation, literally
millions of interactions, some instantaneous,
some taking minutes or hours. The process
is so precise and intricate, and at the same
time so monumental in its scope, that it's truly
astounding."

Sean Humphrey, who undertook the mass
spectrometry work, discovered over 1,500
phosphorylation sites that respond to insulin,
and described the process as "eye opening".

"When you consider that phosphorylation is
only one type of signaling – acetylation and
methylation are other forms – you begin to
understand the kind of complexity that faces
us," he said.

...

Source: Garvan Institute of Medical Research

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- - -
Pro-Humanist FREELOVER
C.ure I.nsulinitis A.ssociation
http://prohuman.net/cureinsulinitisassociation.htm
- - -

[vittyguy]

"Insulin? The following offers a clue into the complexity of what
transpires with insulin. Unfortunately, the word "glucose" does not appear
in this report, -and- the phrase "blood sugar" appears once, fol- lowed by
the word "sugar" in the follow- ing paragraph:"

That is because glucose is but one of a few sugars involved. Diabetics who
do blood checks use meters which single out glucose only given the
technology.

[Pro-Humanist FREELOVER]

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:36:56 PM UTC-5,
vitty guy wrote:

> Pro-Humanist FREELOVER wrote ...

>> - - -

Your description does not accurately
convey the manner in which glucose
metabolism and insulin are critical in
dealing with all glucose anomalies.

Recent article with another effort to
develop a "smart" glucose-responsive
insulin [with insert, not part of original
title, included in brackets]:

- - -
March 14, 2013

$1M grant will help researchers develop
“smart insulin” as a safer option for
[persons with Insulinitis (old name:
type 1 diabetes)]
http://medcitynews.com/2013/03/smart-insulin-could-someday-help-type-1-diabetes-patients-avoid-hypoglycemic-episodes

- - -

>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>>
>> - - -
>> May 21, 2013
>>
>> at http://www.sciencecodex.com:
>> http://tinyurl.com/dazzling-impact-of-insulin
>> - - -

>> [see original article for details]

[vittyguy]

>> Insulin? The following offers a clue into
>> the complexity of what transpires with
>> insulin. Unfortunately, the word "glucose"
>> does not appear in this report, -and- the
>> phrase "blood sugar" appears once, fol-
>> lowed by the word "sugar" in the follow-
>> ing paragraph:

> That is because glucose is but one of=20
> a few sugars involved. Diabetics who=20
> do blood checks use meters which=20
> single out glucose only given the=20
> technology.

"Your description does not accurately convey the manner in which glucose=20

metabolism and insulin are critical in dealing with all glucose anomalies."

Sure it does, and not only that but a fuller picture of the entire role of
sugars and insulin.

[John Williamson]

Diabetes is part of a whole picture of a larger problem involving fat
metabolism as well as carbohydrates. Most diabetics have trouble with
lipid and cholesterol levels, too, as far as I can tell.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.