Types 1 and 2 diabetes affect some 380 million people worldwide. Both result ultimately from a deficiency of functional pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells. Beta cells proliferate in humans during a brief temporal window beginning around the time of birth, with peak beta cell labeling indices achieving approximately 2% in first year of life1-4. In embryonic life and after early childhood, beta cell replication rates are very low. While beta cell expansion seems an obvious therapeutic approach to beta cell deficiency, adult human beta cells have proven recalcitrant to such efforts1-8. Hence, there remains an urgent need for diabetes therapeutic agents that can induce regeneration and expansion of adult human beta cells in vivo or ex vivo. Here, we report the results of a high-throughput small molecule screen (HTS) revealing a novel class of human beta cell mitogenic compounds, analogues of the small molecule, harmine. We also define dual specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase-1a (DYRK1A) as the likely target of harmine, and the Nuclear Factors of activated T-cells (NFAT) family of transcription factors as likely mediators of human beta cell proliferation as well as beta cell differentiation. These observations suggest that harmine analogues (“harmalogs”) may have unique therapeutic promise for human diabetes therapy. Enhancing potency and beta cell specificity are important future challenges.

Brain, liver, kidney, heart, and skeletal muscle from fatty liver dystrophy (fld/fld) mice, which do not express lipin 1 (lipin), contained much less Mg 2؉ -dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) activity than tissues from wild type mice. Lipin harboring the fld 2j (Gly 84 3 Arg) mutation exhibited relatively little PAP activity. These results indicate that lipin is a major PAP in vivo and that the loss of PAP activity contributes to the fld phenotype. PAP activity was readily detected in immune complexes of lipin from 3T3-L1 adipocytes, where the protein was found both as a microsomal form and a soluble, more highly phosphorylated, form. Fifteen phosphorylation sites were identified by mass spectrometric analyses. Insulin increased the phosphorylation of multiple sites and promoted a gel shift that was due in part to phosphorylation of Ser 106 . In contrast, epinephrine and oleic acid promoted dephosphorylation of lipin. The PAP-specific activity of lipin was not affected by the hormones or by dephosphorylation of lipin with protein phosphatase 1. However, the ratio of soluble to microsomal lipin was markedly increased in response to insulin and decreased in response to epinephrine and oleic acid. The results suggest that insulin and epinephrine control lipin primarily by changing localization rather than intrinsic PAP activity.

OBJECTIVERictor is an essential component of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex (mTORC) 2, a kinase that phosphorylates and activates Akt, an insulin signaling intermediary that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver. To determine the physiological role of rictor/mTORC2 in insulin signaling and action in fat cells, we developed fat cell–specific rictor knockout (FRic−/−) mice.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSInsulin signaling and glucose and lipid metabolism were studied in FRic−/− fat cells. In vivo glucose metabolism was evaluated by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp.RESULTSLoss of rictor in fat cells prevents insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of Akt at S473, which, in turn, impairs the phosphorylation of downstream targets such as FoxO3a at T32 and AS160 at T642. However, glycogen synthase kinase-3β phosphorylation at S9 is not affected. The signaling defects in FRic−/− fat cells lead to impaired insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane and decreased glucose transport. Furthermore, rictor-null fat cells are unable to suppress lipolysis in response to insulin, leading to elevated circulating free fatty acids and glycerol. These metabolic perturbations are likely to account for defects observed at the whole-body level of FRic−/− mice, including glucose intolerance, marked hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and liver, and hepatic steatosis.CONCLUSIONSRictor/mTORC2 in fat cells plays an important role in whole-body energy homeostasis by mediating signaling necessary for the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in fat cells.

Rictor is an essential component of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) complex 2 (mTORC2), a kinase complex that phosphorylates Akt at Ser473 upon activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3 kinase). Since little is known about the role of either rictor or mTORC2 in PI-3 kinase-mediated physiological processes in adult animals, we generated muscle-specific rictor knockout mice. Muscle from male rictor knockout mice exhibited decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, and the mice showed glucose intolerance. In muscle lacking rictor, the phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 was reduced dramatically in response to insulin. Furthermore, insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of the Akt substrate AS160 at Thr642 was reduced in rictor knockout muscle, indicating a defect in insulin signaling to stimulate glucose transport. However, the phosphorylation of Akt at Thr308 was normal and sufficient to mediate the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3). Basal glycogen synthase activity in muscle lacking rictor was increased to that of insulin-stimulated controls. Consistent with this, we observed a decrease in basal levels of phosphorylated glycogen synthase at a GSK-3/protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)-regulated site in rictor knockout muscle. This change in glycogen synthase phosphorylation was associated with an increase in the catalytic activity of glycogen-associated PP1 but not increased GSK-3 inactivation. Thus, rictor in muscle tissue contributes to glucose homeostasis by positively regulating insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and negatively regulating basal glycogen synthase activity.

The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge and practices related to menstruation among tribal (Gujjar) adolescent girls. The sample for the study comprised of 200 girls in the age group 13-15 years. Both nomadic and semi-nomadic Gujjars were included. A combination of snowball and random sampling technique was used for selection of the sample group from various areas of Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir State. Interview guide was developed and used to study the knowledge and practices related to menstruation among adolescent girls. Along with the Interview guide, the menstrual history of the sample group was recorded by the medical experts in the proforma devised for the purpose. The results revealed that sample girls lacked conceptual clarity about the process of menstruation before they started menstruating due to which they faced several gynaecological problems. The most common source of information about menstruation for the majority (83%) of the sample girls were friends. There were several socio-cultural taboos related to menstruation. The level of personal hygiene and management of menstruation was found to be quite unsatisfactory. 98% of the girls believed that there should be no regular bath during menstrual cycle. All the girls reported following these cultural practices without much questioning. The results hold implications for professionals involved in improvement of adolescent reproductive health in particular.