Regulated secretion in neuroendocrine cells and its relation to human diseases, such as diabetes and cancers.
Cells in human body rely on bioactive signals to communicate with each other and control homeostasis inside. Regulated secretion from endocrine cells controls the level of almost all important hormones in our bodies. Key molecular steps in the regulated secretion are being studied by my research group, and molecular players in these steps are clearly important for the development of human diseases. For example, hyperproinsulinemia, high level of proinsulin in blood, is a prediabetic hallmark for a significant fraction of type 2-diabetic patients. Upregulation of regulated secretion is important for the release of specific clinical markers for multiple different human cancers. These together make it very important to understand and balance the function of regulated secretion and develop strategies to enhance the homeostasis in the regulated secretion from different tissues, which will enhance public health and decrease biomedical burden in public domain.