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Sci. Signal., 20 March 2012
Vol. 5, Issue 216, p. ra23
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2002519]

RESEARCH ARTICLES

Editor's Summary

Death by Cannabinoids
Cannabinoid receptors are located in the brain and in the periphery, where they mediate effects on mood, appetite, metabolism, and pain perception. In pancreatic β cells, cannabinoid 1 receptors inhibit insulin action. Kim et al. showed that cannabinoid 1 receptors also prevent prosurvival signaling through the insulin receptor by attenuating its activation. Because loss of β cells through cell death contributes to the decline in pancreatic function seen in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, pharmacological blockade of the cannabinoid 1 receptor could be developed as a potential therapy for diabetes.

Citation: W. Kim, Q. Lao, Y.-K. Shin, O. D. Carlson, E. K. Lee, M. Gorospe, R. N. Kulkarni, J. M. Egan, Cannabinoids Induce Pancreatic β-Cell Death by Directly Inhibiting Insulin Receptor Activation. Sci. Signal. 5, ra23 (2012).

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Human {beta}-Cell Proliferation and Intracellular Signaling: Driving in the Dark Without a Road Map.
R. N. Kulkarni, E.-B. Mizrachi, A. G. Ocana, and A. F. Stewart (2012)
Diabetes 61, 2205-2213
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