Glucose induces MafA expression in pancreatic beta cell lines via the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway.

ABSTRACT: MafA is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor that regulates gene expression in both the neuroretina and pancreas. Within the pancreas, MafA is exclusively expressed in the beta cells and is involved in insulin gene transcription, insulin secretion, and beta cell survival. The expression of the mafA gene within beta cells is known to increase in response to high glucose levels by an unknown mechanism. In this study, we demonstrate that pyruvate, which is produced by glycolysis from glucose, is not sufficient to induce mafA gene expression compared with high glucose. This suggests that the signal for MafA induction is independent of ATP levels and that a metabolic event occurring upstream of pyruvate production leads to the induction of MafA. Furthermore, insulin secretion mediated by

SUBMITTER: Vanderford NL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1904346 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature