Page 1 of 85 Diabetes Heparanase overexpression induces glucagon resistance and protects animals from chemically-induced diabetes Dahai Zhang1, Fulong Wang1, Nathaniel Lal1, Amy Pei-Ling Chiu1, Andrea Wan1, Jocelyn Jia1, Denise Bierende1, Stephane Flibotte1, Sunita Sinha1, Ali Asadi2, Xiaoke Hu2, Farnaz Taghizadeh2, Thomas Pulinilkunnil3, Corey Nislow1, Israel Vlodavsky4, James D. Johnson2, Timothy J. Kieffer2, Bahira Hussein1 and Brian Rodrigues1 1Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC, 2405 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3; 2Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, UBC, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3; 3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB, Canada E2L 4L5; 4Cancer and Vascular Biology Research Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel 31096 Running Title: Heparanase overexpression and the pancreatic islet Corresponding author: Dr. Brian Rodrigues Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences University of British Columbia, 2405 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z3 TEL: (604) 822-4758; FAX: (604) 822-3035 E-mail:
[email protected] Key Words: Heparanase, heparan sulfate proteoglycan, glucose homeostasis, glucagon resistance, pancreatic islet, STZ Word Count: 4761 Total Number of DiabetesFigures: Publish 6 Ahead of Print, published online October 7, 2016 Diabetes Page 2 of 85 Abstract Heparanase, a protein with enzymatic and non-enzymatic properties, contributes towards disease progression and prevention. In the current study, a fortuitous observation in transgenic mice globally overexpressing heparanase (hep-tg) was the discovery of improved glucose homeostasis. We examined the mechanisms that contribute towards this improved glucose metabolism. Heparanase overexpression was associated with enhanced GSIS and hyperglucagonemia, in addition to changes in islet composition and structure.