Lysosomal integral membrane protein Sidt2 plays a vital role in insulin secretion

Abnormal insulin secretion results in impaired glucose tolerance and is one of the causal factors in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sidt2, a lysosomal integral membrane protein, plays a critical role in insulin secretion. Here, we further investigate its regulation in insulin secretion. We show that Sidt2(-/-) mice exhibit weight loss, decreased postnatal survival rate with aging, increased fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. After loading high levels of glucose in their diet, Sidt2(-/-) mice produce notably lower insulin levels at the first-phase secretion compared with Sidt2(+/+) mice. Consistent with the in vivo study, INS-1 cells treated with Sidt2 siRNA produced less insulin when loaded with 16.7 mM of glucose. Only 2 of the 13 genes, synap1 and synap3 which encode soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor (SNARE) proteins, showed significantly decreased expression in Sidt2(-/-) mice. In conclusion, Sdit2 may play a vital role in the regulation of insulin secretion via two SNARE proteins synap1 and syanp3.