Joslin Finds the Trouble with Tribbles in Diabetes

Rohit N. Kulkarni, M.D., Ph.D.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Named for the furballs whose astonishing fecundity made them stars in early Star Trek episodes, the tribbles protein, first identified in fruit flies, aids in regulating many cell processes in humans.

Joslin researchers now have identified mechanisms triggered by a variant of the tribbles gene that cause trouble in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells—and that offer a promising target for therapies for people with type 2 diabetes.

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