A cellular defect that can impair the body's ability to handle high glucose levels and could point the way to a potential new treatment for diabetes has been identified by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers. The CUMC team found that ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) calcium channels in insulin-producing cells play an important and previously underappreciated role in glucose balance. RyR2 channels control intracellular calcium release. When leaky, they were found to reduce insulin release from the pancreas, resulting in high blood sugar levels in a test that measures the ability to regulate glucose. The researchers also demonstrated, in a mouse model of diabetes, that these leaks can be stopped and glucose levels normalized with an experimental drug called Rycal. The findings were published online on April 6, 2015 in an open-access article in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The article is titled, "Calcium Release Channel RyR2 Regulates Insulin Release and Glucose Homeostasis." "We've known that calcium in the pancreatic beta cells plays a significant role in regulating insulin secretion, but calcium levels were thought to be controlled largely by the entry of calcium into the cell," said senior author Andrew R. Marks, M.D., Professor and Chair of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at CUMC. "It turns out that there's another mechanism in pancreatic beta cells that also controls calcium. This mechanism involves RyR2 channels, and leaks in these channels can lead to impaired glucose tolerance.Login Or Register To Read Full Story