Lecture 22: Diabetes Biology

Question 1

What is the product of carbohydrate digestion?

Answer 1

-glucose

Question 2

How does glucose get into cells?

Answer 2

• carbohydrates are broken down in digestion, ending up as glucose
• then goes into blood and gets taken up by cells (cell membranes are permeable so glucose transporters can bring them into cell)
• transporting proteins bind to glucose molecules to help glucose pass through cell membrane

Question 3

What does insulin do?

Answer 3

• allows cells in the muscles, fat and liver to absorb glucose
• signals to add more transport proteins to cell membrane allowing glucose to get into cell

Question 4

When and where is insulin released?

Answer 4

-is released from the beta cells in your pancreas in response to rising glucose in your bloodstream

Question 5

What happens when body doesn’t have insulin?

Answer 5

• glucose cannot be cleared from bloodstream causing high glucose levels
• body then tries to flush it out such as increased urination

Question 6

What does the kidney do?

Answer 6

• a filter and reabsorption system, releasing waste from body and blood in the form of urine
• filtrate that gets squeezed out gets reabsorbed if needed ex. low-sodium diet, salt taken back (essential for homeostasis)
• regulates blood pressure
• balances water

Question 7

What is the basic structural unit of the kidney called?

Answer 7

-the nephron

Question 8

What happens to body when you have diabetes? Pertaining to the kidney

Answer 8

• too much glucose in the blood because not enough insulin and glucose transporters
• too much glucose in filtrate to be reabsorbed
• glucose pulls in water into filtrate
• blood to kidneys is reduced to prevent H20 loss
• over time leads to ischemia/cell death

Question 9

What is the link between genetics and Type 1 diabetes? How is the HLA gene involved?

Answer 9

• like cancer, genes won’t cause it but may increase risk
• your own cells attack insulin producing cells in Islets of Langerhans
• theory: certain virus has similar molecule as pancreas, looks identical to the immune system; immune dysfunction targets these cells/destroys them in pancreas, stops insulin production

Question 10

HLA

Answer 10

-helps the immune system distinguish the body’s own proteins from proteins made by foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria

Question 11

Best way to monitor blood glucose levels

Answer 11

• tight control: intensive diabetes self-management that involves keeping blood glucose levels as close as possible to normal using frequent blood glucose monitoring
• helped save lives

Question 12

Why are pancreas transplants not performed routinely?

Answer 12

• very risky surgery
• big chance you might die due to complications:

1. Clotting
2. Bleeding
3. hyperglycemia
4. urinary complications
5. failure/rejection of organ

Question 13

Pros and Cons of pancreas transplant

Answer 13

• Pros: no more diabetes

- Cons: many complications and big chance of organ rejection