Colonic inflammation explains missing link between obesity and beta-cell proliferation

Researchers at the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine have uncovered a key primary step in the hepatic ERK pathway that leads to increased insulin production. While their previous work focused on aspects of the signaling pathway from the liver to the pancreas, this current study shows an even earlier step that begins in the colon when it is inflamed — triggered by obesity. The present study revealed a novel role the gastrointestinal tract plays in regulating glucose homeostasis.