NTU Undergraduates' research April 2014 - Biosciences | Page 82

EFFECT OF GLUCOLIPTOXICITY UPON PANCREATIC BETA CELL FUNCTION: ROLE OF
TRAF2 AND TRAF6
JESSICA H KEARSLEY
Abstract
As the word suggests, glucolipotoxicity refers to the combined toxic effect of elevated fatty acids and
glucose concentrations on pancreatic beta cells. It contributes to the death and dysfunction of these
cells after the onset of type 2 diabetes. This rese arch investigates the expression of two members of
the TRAF superfamily in glucolipotoxic cell extracts through western blotting and quantitative
densitometry. It also aims to explain the role which TRAF2 and TRAF6 play in contributing towards
glucolipotoxicity of pancreatic beta cells, mainly through cell signalling pathways which lead to either
apoptosis or inflammation and in some instances both. The overriding results were that both TRAF2
and TRAF6 were upregulated under glucolipotoxic conditions and that this elevation was more
marked in TRAF6. Although as there is only one result for TRAF6 expression, this finding cannot be
relied upon without repeats. However, these results still suggest that the two TRAF proteins play a
role in glucolipotoxicity.