The protonation state of soluble and membrane-associated macromolecules dictates their
charge, conformation, and functional activity. In addition, protons (H+ or their equivalents) …

Background Although the insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells are quite capable of adapting
to both acute and chronic changes in metabolic demand, persistently high demand for …

Human obesity has an inherited component, but in contrast to rodent obesity, precise
genetic defects have yet to be defined1. A mutation of carboxypeptidase E (CPE), an …

Proteases enzymatically hydrolyze peptide bonds in substrate proteins, resulting in a
widespread, irreversible posttranslational modification of the protein's structure and …

Previous work demonstrated that human furin is a predominantly Golgi membrane-localized
endoprotease that can efficiently process precursor proteins at paired basic residues (-Lys …

Limited endoproteolysis of inactive precursor proteins at sites marked by paired or multiple
basic amino acids is a widespread process by which biologically active peptides and …

OBJECTIVE—Hypovitaminosis D and reduced IGF-1 are associated, individually, with
metabolic syndrome. Physiological interactions between vitamin D and IGF-1 are reported; …

Vitamin D deficiency reduces insulin secretion and still occurs in East London Asians in
whom the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is at least four times that of Caucasians. Vitamin D …

Insulin is produced by pancreatic β-cells, and once released to the blood, the hormone
stimulates glucose uptake and suppresses glucose production. Defects in both the …

Islet amyloid has been recognized as a pathological entity in type 2 diabetes since the turn
of the century. It has as its unique component the islet beta-cell peptide islet amyloid …