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DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-978847
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York
Insulin Antagonism: A Novel Role for Human Serum Transferrin
Publikationsverlauf
1997
1997
Publikationsdatum:
20. April 2007 (online)
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We have purified α2-glycoprotein (α2-GP), an insulin antagonist from human plasma which is induced by growth hormone (GH), and shown that pure α2-GP is a potent antagonist of severe insulin-induced hypoglycemia, producing acute hyperglycemia in intact rats and ketonuria in diabetic rats. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of α2-GP and the reactivity of α2-GP with an antitransferrin monoclonal antibody show that α2-GP is identical to human serum transferrin. Furthermore, pure human serum transferrin and non-glycosylated recombinant human transferrin reproduce the insulin antagonist effects of α2-GP in rats, whereas ovotransferrin shows no such effect. The neutralization of the insulin antagonism of human serum transferrin by an anti-transferrin monoclonal antibody shows that transferrin has a new function as a potent insulin antagonist. This novel role for human serum transferrin in the regulation of glucose metabolism provides a reasonable mechanism for the diabetogenic effect of GH, and has important implications for the etiology and progression of diabetes.
Key words
Insulin Antagonist - Diabetes Mellitus - Transferrin