Molecular mechanism linked to increased risk of diabetes in people with cystic fibrosis

Jun 2 2014

Many people with cystic fibrosis develop diabetes. The reasons for this
have been largely unknown, but now researchers at Lund University in Sweden and 
Karolinska institutet have identified a molecular mechanism that contributes to
the raised diabetes risk.

"The increased risk of diabetes has previously been explained by the fact that cystic
fibrosis causes damage to the pancreas, where the blood-sugar regulating
hormone insulin is produced. We are the first research group to show that the
mutated gene that causes cystic fibrosis also plays an important role in the
release of insulin. The risk of diabetes is not only explained by the destruction of the
pancreas", said Anna Edlund, a doctoral student at Lund University Diabetes
Centre. 

Cystic fibrosis is the result of a genetic mutation in an ion channel that 
normally regulates salt transport in cells, primarily in the lungs and
pancreas. The mutation leads to a wide variety of symptoms. Individuals with cystic
fibrosis produce a lot of thick, viscous mucus. This makes their airways
sensitive to infection, and repeated or chronic lung infections are common. The
secretion of pancreatic juice from the pancreas to the intestine is hindered,
which causes diarrhoea and poor weight gain.

Left untreated, cystic fibrosis is fatal, but with improved treatment of
 symptoms, survival has improved. Many people with cystic fibrosis now live
beyond the age of 40.

"Cystic Fibrosis is a severe health condition and diabetes exacerbates an
already problematic situation", said Malin Flodström-Tullberg, a researcher at
the Centre for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska institutet.

Many people with cystic fibrosis have poor sugar
metabolism. At the age of 30, around one in four people with cystic fibrosis
also has diabetes that requires treatment with insulin. What the researchers
have now shown is that the mutation in the cystic fibrosis gene inhibits the
secretion of insulin into the blood, which means that the level is insufficient
when the demands on the insulin increase, such as after a meal.

"Normally, insulin is released in two stages. The early stage is a rapid
response to raised blood sugar and the later stage aims to restore blood sugar
levels. In cystic fibrosis, the early stage of insulin release in particular is
insufficient", said Anna Edlund, adding:

"Our results also correspond to clinical observations. Many patients with
cystic fibrosis who do not have diabetes have normal blood sugar in a fasting
state, but raised blood sugar after a meal."

The researchers have worked on insulin producing cells from mice and deceased
donors. They have shown that the cystic fibrosis gene plays an important role
in the complex chain of events that precedes the release of insulin.

When the cells were exposed to high glucose levels, they responded as expected
by increasing insulin secretion, but when a preparation that specifically
obstructs the ion channel expressed by the cystic fibrosis gene was added, the
cells' ability to release insulin fell significantly.

"Despite being common among cystic fibrosis patients, surprisingly little is
known about the mechanisms behind diabetes in this group of individuals. We
need to know what causes the problem in order to develop preventive treatments
that improve the cells' ability to secrete insulin. Our study provide a first
piece of increased understanding how CFTR contribute to insulin secretion",
said Lena Eliasson, Professor at Lund University Diabetes Centre.