The role of autophagy in endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced pancreatic β cell death.

In pancreatic β-cells, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the crucial site for insulin biosynthesis, as this is where the protein-folding machinery for secretory proteins is localized. Perturbations to ER function of the β-cell, such as those caused by high levels of free fatty acid and insulin resistance, can lead to an imbalance in protein homeostasis and ER stress, which has been recognized as an important mechanism for type 2 diabetes. Macroautophagy (hereafter referred to as autophagy) is activated as a novel signaling pathway in response to ER stress. In this review, we outline the mechanism of ER stress-mediated β-cell death and focus on the role of autophagy in ameliorating ER stress. The development of drugs to take advantage of the potential protective effect of autophagy in ER stress, such as glucagon like peptide-1, will be a promising avenue of investigation.