Our team recently published an article at iScience in which we identified eight serum proteins likely involved in the control of insulin resistance in hibernating grizzly bears. Check out the open access article here!
Abstract
Understanding how metabolic reprogramming happens in cells will aid the progress in the treatment of a variety of metabolic disorders. Brown bears undergo seasonal shifts in insulin sensitivity, including reversible insulin resistance in hibernation. We performed RNA-sequencing on brown bear adipocytes and proteomics on serum to identify changes possibly responsible for reversible insulin resistance. We observed dramatic transcriptional changes, which depended on both the cell and serum season of origin. Despite large changes in adipocyte gene expression, only changes in eight circulating proteins were identified as related to the seasonal shifts in insulin sensitivity, including some that have not previously been associated with glucose homeostasis. The identified serum proteins may be sufficient for shifting hibernation adipocytes to an active-like state.
This study has picked up quite a bit of press coverage, some of which is highlighted below!
- National Geographic. Hibernating bears could hold a clue to treating diabetes, by Melissa Hobson.
- The Washington Post. Hibernating fat bears are complex. They may hold lessons for human health, by Gretchen Reynolds.
- Oregon Public Broadcasting. Bears don’t get diabetes. Understanding why could some day revolutionize treating the disease in humans, by Sheraz Sadiq.
- WSU Insider. Bears’ ability to regulate insulin narrowed down to eight proteins, by Sara Zaske.
- HealthDay. A Honey of a Study: Well-Fed Bears Give Clues to Human Diabetes, by Amy Norton.
- Newsweek. Why Winnie the Pooh Could Hold Key to Beating Diabetes, by Mark Waghorn.
- BioWorld. Research identifies proteins that let sleeping bears lie, by Anette Breindl.