β-cell Smad2 null mice have improved β-cell function and are protected from diet-induced hyperglycemia

Understanding signaling pathways that regulate pancreatic β-cell function to produce, store, and release insulin, as well as pathways that control β-cell proliferation, is vital to find new treatments for diabetes mellitus. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling is involved in a broad range of β-cell functions. The canonical TGF-β signaling pathway functions through intracellular smads, including smad2 and smad3, to regulate cell development, proliferation, differentiation, and function in many organs. Here, we demonstrate the role of TGF-β/smad2 signaling in regulating mature β-cell proliferation and function using β-cell-specific smad2 null mutant mice. β-cell-specific smad2-deficient mice exhibited improved glucose clearance as demonstrated by glucose tolerance testing, enhanced in vivo and ex vivo glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and increased β-cell mass and proliferation. Furthermore, when these mice were fed a high-fat diet to induce hyperglycemia, they again showed improved glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity. In addition, ex vivo analysis of smad2-deficient islets showed that they displayed increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and upregulation of genes involved in insulin synthesis and insulin secretion. Thus, we conclude that smad2 could represent an attractive therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes mellitus.