Worming into insulin

Swedish researchers have discovered that ASNA-1 regulates insulin signaling in C. elegans, potentially opening a new avenue for diabetes drugs, as the protein is evolutionarily conserved from worms to mice to humans.

The ASNA-1 gene encodes an ATPase that regulates growth. It was already known that homologs of the gene are present in all eukaryotes and some prokaryotes, and that in humans, ATPase is expressed in pancreatic islet cells. While earlier studies with the related protein in yeast hinted at a role in secretion, the new finding was that ASNA-1 is involved in insulin secretion in higher organisms. In worms that means growth, but in humans the finding implies a new target in the insulin pathway...