PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Amino acid's increase is suspected in diabetes

Research examines effects of lower and higher tyrosine levels

2013-12-20
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Will Sansom
sansom@uthscsa.edu
210-567-2579
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Amino acid's increase is suspected in diabetes Research examines effects of lower and higher tyrosine levels

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 19, 2013) — Elevated levels of an amino acid, tyrosine, alter development and longevity in animals and may contribute to the development of diabetes in people, new research from the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio indicates. This line of study could potentially lead to a novel way to prevent or treat the disease. The research is reported this week [Dec. 19] in PLOS Genetics, a journal of the Public Library of Science.

Evidence of a direct effect in diabetes

Tyrosine is increased in the blood of people who are obese or diabetic, said study senior author Alfred Fisher, M.D., Ph.D., of the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the UT Health Science Center. Among people who are obese, those at the highest risk of developing diabetes tend to have higher tyrosine levels. "It was unknown whether this was simply a marker of diabetes risk or could be playing a direct role in the disease," Dr. Fisher said. "Our work suggests that tyrosine has a direct effect."

Dr. Fisher is a physician scientist with the Barshop Institute's Center for Healthy Aging and the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. He has studied tyrosine's effect on insulin signaling in an animal model called C. elegans (roundworms) since 2005. The observation that tyrosine was elevated in human diabetics further spurred the research. Now he is ready to take research insights back into people.

Concept to be tested in humans

"This will be tested in small human clinical trials," Dr. Fisher said. "Our team will augment tyrosine levels in study participants for a short period and observe whether this changes the ability of the body to respond to insulin, which is a key hormone involved in controlling blood sugar levels. This will not be detrimental to participants, as the increase will be transient and well below the level of what is clinically relevant."

As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Fisher found that increasing the levels of tyrosine in roundworms promoted their longevity. Worms with mutations of certain genes lived 10 percent to 20 percent longer. One combination of genetic mutations produced an almost 60 percent increase in life span.

Same inhibition, different effects

"In both humans and worms, the effect is due to an inhibition of insulin signaling," Dr. Fisher said. "Interfering with this pathway produces longevity in worms, whereas in people it leads to insulin resistance and an elevated risk of developing diabetes."

Tyrosine has been studied for decades, but few if any research groups have made the connection between tyrosine and diabetes.

New thinking about amino acids' roles

"The key concept that comes out of our latest paper is, rather than amino acids being only building blocks in our bodies, they are detected and produce changes in physiology, including potentially undesirable ones such as diabetes in humans," Dr. Fisher said.



INFORMATION:

Dr. Fisher, associate professor of medicine in the School of Medicine, joined the Health Science Center in 2013 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He earned Ph.D. and M.D. degrees at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, and completed residency and a geriatrics fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

Project support

Funding for the project is from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.

On the Web and social media

For current news from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, please visit our news release website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

About the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country's leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health funding. The university's schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 29,000 graduates. The $765 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways "We make lives better®," visit http://www.uthscsa.edu.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

'Universal ripple' could hold the secret to high-temperature superconductivity

2013-12-20
'Universal ripple' could hold the secret to high-temperature superconductivity UBC researchers have discovered a universal electronic state that controls the behavior of high-temperature superconducting copper-oxide ceramics. The work, published ...

Protein links liver cancer with obesity, alcoholism, and hepatitis

2013-12-20
Protein links liver cancer with obesity, alcoholism, and hepatitis A new study identifies an unexpected molecular link between liver cancer, cellular stress, and risk factors for developing this cancer – obesity, alcoholism, and viral hepatitis. In the study by University ...

Inadequate pregnancy weight gain a risk factor for infant mortality

2013-12-20
Inadequate pregnancy weight gain a risk factor for infant mortality One-quarter of US women gain an inadequate amount of weight during pregnancy, University of Maryland School of Public Health study shows Women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy are at increased ...

Lactation consultant visits spur breastfeeding among women who usually resist it

2013-12-20
Lactation consultant visits spur breastfeeding among women who usually resist it December 19, 2013—(BRONX, NY)—In two separate clinical trials, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that periodic meetings ...

Researchers show the power of mirror neuron system in learning and language understanding

2013-12-20
Researchers show the power of mirror neuron system in learning and language understanding TEMPE, Ariz. – Anyone who has tried to learn a second language knows how difficult it is to absorb new words and use them to accurately express ideas in a completely new cultural ...

How cells remodel after UV radiation

2013-12-20
How cells remodel after UV radiation Researchers map cell's complex genetic interactions to fix damaged DNA Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in The Netherlands and United Kingdom, have produced the ...

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Bruce still wide-eyed

2013-12-20
NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Bruce still wide-eyed Tropical Cyclone Bruce was still maintaining hurricane-force in the Southern Indian Ocean when NASA's Terra satellite passed over the eye of the storm. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument ...

Greek economic crisis leads to air pollution crisis

2013-12-20
Greek economic crisis leads to air pollution crisis Levels of dangerous air particulates jump 30 percent as people turn to burning cheaper fuel sources In the midst of a winter cold snap, a study from researchers in the United States and Greece reveals an ...

NASA sees heavy rain continue in Tropical Cyclone Amara

2013-12-20
NASA sees heavy rain continue in Tropical Cyclone Amara

TB bacteria mask their identity to intrude into deeper regions of lungs

2013-12-20
TB bacteria mask their identity to intrude into deeper regions of lungs Cell surface lipids hide molecular patterns that infection-killing cells might recognize as dangerous TB-causing bacteria appear to mask their identity to avoid recognition by infection-killing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Young females more likely to experience higher social anxiety due to excessive smartphone use than other genders

New research boosts future whooping cough vaccines

Mechanistic understanding could enable better fast-charging batteries

No bones about it: new details about skeletal cell aging revealed

UNM scientists discover how nanoparticles of toxic metal used in MRI scans infiltrate human tissue

UMaine research examines best methods for growing Atlantic sea scallops

Medical cannabis could speed recovery, especially at community recovery homes

Study assesses U.S. image amid weakening of democracy

Two scientific researchers to receive 2025 Ralph L. Sacco Scholarships for Brain Health

Researchers improve chemical reaction that underpins products from foods to fuels

Texas Tech to develop semiconductor power devices through $6 million grant

Novel genomic screening tool enables precision reverse-engineering of genetic programming in cells

Hot Schrödinger cat states created

How cells repair their power plants

Oxygen is running low in inland waters—and humans are to blame

ACP’s Best Practice Advice addresses use of cannabis, cannabinoids for chronic noncancer pain

Beyond photorespiration: A systematic approach to unlocking enhanced plant productivity

How a small number of mutations can fuel outbreaks of western equine encephalitis virus

Exposure to wildfire smoke linked with worsening mental health conditions

Research uncovers hidden spread of one of the most common hospital-associated infections

Many older adults send their doctors portal messages, but who pays?

Fine particulate matter from 2020 California wildfires and mental health–related emergency department visits

Gender inequity in institutional leadership roles in US academic medical centers

Pancreatic cells ‘remember’ epigenetic precancerous marks without genetic sequence mutations

Rare combination of ovarian tumors found in one patient

AI-driven clinical recommendations may aid physician decision making to improve quality of care

Artificial intelligence has potential to aid physician decisions during virtual urgent care

ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine present breaking scientific news at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2025

New study reveals polymers with flawed fillers boost heat transfer in plastics

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

[Press-News.org] Amino acid's increase is suspected in diabetes
Research examines effects of lower and higher tyrosine levels