LSU professor tackles Type II Diabetes and Obesity
Type
II diabetes afflicts more than 18 million Americans and incidence of the
disease is on the rise. Studies have also shown that more than 80 percent
of Type II diabetics are obese.
LSU Professor of Biological Sciences Jacqueline Stephens knows these statistics by heart. For her, they illustrate the importance of her ongoing research into fat cells and their relationship to metabolism and diabetes.
Stephens leads a research team that studies specific types of proteins in fat cells. These proteins play a crucial role in overall body metabolism, and the research could one day have an impact on the treatment of diabetes.
“Fat cells are not just an inert energy depot, as many people presume,” she said. “Fat cells do store fat, but they are also insulin sensitive and produce bioactive substances, such as hormones.”
Stephens explained that these substances, produced exclusively within fat cells, play various roles throughout the body, including within the brain and the liver.
“That is why fat cells are so important, because they exclusively make proteins which communicate with and regulate other tissues in the body, particularly tissues associated with the regulation of metabolism,” Stephens explained.
Specifically, Stephens and her team have examined proteins known as transcription factors.
“The types of proteins that we study are called transcription factors. These proteins are often considered ‘master regulators’ because they control what other proteins get produced in the cell,” said Stephens. “We are studying various transcription factors, including one called STAT5A, which we have shown is important in fat cell development, or adipogenesis.”
Stephens and her lab researchers examined STAT behavior in both diabetic and healthy fat cells. She compared how STAT5 proteins respond to or act with varying levels of insulin, and her findings revealed that STAT5 appears to be a key mediator in insulin-sensitive fat cells. This led her to hypothesize that the protein, under certain conditions, may be able to rehabilitate fat cells that have stopped recognizing insulin.
If STAT5 proves successful in rehabilitating fat cells and restoring the cell’s ability to process insulin, it would provide the biotechnology industry with a valuable human protein treatment option. However, unlike typical chemical drugs, human-protein therapeutics are man-made versions of substances the body naturally produces.
“Do we have a cure for diabetes? No. But, any time you can understand how a protein plays a role in insulin sensitivity, you have a possible therapeutic for diabetes treatment,” Stephens said.
While Stephens research is far from complete, it has garnered national attention for the promise it holds. Late in 2005, her groundbreaking work earned her the Lilly Scientific Achievement Award from the North American Society for the Study of Obesity.
The Lilly Scientific Achievement Award recognizes “excellence in established research careers” and is made possible through an annual grant from the Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company. The award included a $5,000 cash prize, as well as a trip to the North American Society for the Study of Obesity’s Annual Scientific Meeting. Stephens was presented with the award at the annual meeting in Vancouver, where she delivered a lecture on her research to meeting attendees.
Jeb Baugh, research associate and manager of Stephens’ lab, has been working with Stephens for more than two years and has played an important role in the STAT5 research that earned her the Lilly Award.
“I grow the cells, do whatever experiments she needs me to do and analyze the experiments,” Baugh explained. “Whatever direction she wants to go in, I try to get things moving that way.”
Baugh, who earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology, sa said he has enjoyed jumping into cell biology research. Indeed, he has become so enamored that he is soon stepping down from his lab manager position to become a full-time doctoral student in biological sciences. He credits Stephens, who will serve as his major professor, for sparking his interest and for giving him the chance to work in an environment of discovery.
“Some might think that the heyday of biology is over and that most of the important things have been discovered. Well, they really haven’t,” said Baugh. “There is still so much to uncover and you don’t know when the next big discovery is going to be made. That’s what makes it so exciting.”
Baugh said he plans to examine the connections between obesity and inflammation, and that the work he has been involved with in Stephens’ lab provides a good starting point.
“The heyday of biology is not over,” he said, while discussing his future in the field. “It’s now.”
Written by Rob Anderson| LSU Office of
Public Affairs
Questions/Comments
Summer 2006
