Sing-Young Chen

I am interested in sex differences in the regulation of protein translation in pancreatic beta-cells. Pancreatic beta-cells are the only cells in the body that secrete insulin, a peptide hormone that lowers blood glucose. Therefore, beta-cells must synthesise and process large quantities of protein. In diabetes, beta-cells are subject to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, when insulin demand overwhelms the cell's capacity to process proteins. Therefore, it is important to understand how beta-cells cope with ER stress and what regulatory components of the cell are involved in resolving ER stress and promoting cell survival. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that female islets have greater translational capacity and are more resilience to stress than male islets. Understanding these differences is crucial for improving diabetes management strategies in a sex-informed way, and for developing new treatment opportunities that enhance beta-cell function and survival.