News & Research

    University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida

Role of miR-7 in pancreatic islet inflammation

General Research Subject: Both Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes

Focus: Transplantation, Islet Biology\Apoptosis

Type of Grant: Mentor Based Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship

Project Start Date: July 1, 2009

Project End Date: June 30, 2012

Research Description

Gene expression refers to the cellular process by which a gene produces an intermediate RNA molecule, which in turn generates a protein. Recently were discovered genes that do not produce proteins but instead generate small RNA molecules know as microRNA (miRNAs). MiRNAs have the capability to inhibit protein production by binding to their specific target RNA molecules.  MiRNAs regulate key cellular biological processes. MiRNAs have an important role in the development/maintenance of diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Furthermore, new studies describe a critical role of miRNAs in the inflammatory response and in chronic inflammatory diseases. Inflammation plays an important role in beta-cell dysfunction/destruction causing diabetes and islet graft loss, through the recruitment of cytokine-producing immune cells to pancreatic islets.

We recently identified the microRNA miR-7 as the most abundant islet specific miRNA. MiR-7 is also expressed in pro-islet cells in the human developing pancreas. Our preliminary results suggest that miR-7 might have a role in the inflammatory response of islets. Our aim is to further investigate the role of miR-7 in islet inflammation. We will address the following questions/hypotheses: Does miR-7 mediate the inflammation response in pancreatic islets and which gene pathways are influenced by miR-7? We propose to modulate miR-7 expression in order to study its effect on islets using in vitro and in vivo conditions of inflammation. These studies will further our understanding of genes involved in inflammation-mediated beta-cell death and perhaps identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for diabetes.

Reseacher Profile

Mentor: Ricardo Pastori, PhD   Postdoctoral Fellow: Valia Bravo-Egana, PhD

What area of diabetes research does your project cover?  What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes? 

This 'Mentor-based minority Postdoctoral Fellowship' award will support a minority post-doctoral fellow working in a project that focuses in the function of beta-cells in response to inflammation, an event that plays an important role in ß-cell dysfunction and destruction causing diabetes and loss of islets after transplantation.  We will study the role of microRNAs in islet inflammation. MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that regulate key cellular biological processes and have an important role in the development/maintenance of many diseases. Specifically, we will focus on miR-7, a microRNA that is expressed in pro-islet cells in the human developing pancreas and was recently identified by our group as the most abundant islet specific miRNA,

If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond? 

These studies will further our understanding of genes involved in inflammation-mediated beta-cell death and perhaps identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for diabetes. 

Why is it important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research?  What role will this award play in your research efforts? 

Since the time of my post-doctoral training I became interested in applying my skills in molecular biology to the study of human diseases.  After completion of training, I had an opportunity to join the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, a leading institution dedicated to the development of effective and safe therapeutic strategies for diabetes mellitus.

By supporting a postdoctoral-fellow, this award will allow us to continue investigating the biology of microRNA in the context of Diabetes.

In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going? 

In my opinion, there are two critical areas of research, regarding type I diabetes, that will significantly contribute to cure and prevention of this disease.  Understanding the molecular mechanisms of impaired self-tolerance, and the production of insulin producing beta-cells from stem cells.