Endoplasmic reticulum stress in the pathogenesis of diabetes

The accumulation of unfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) causes ER stress. Cells activate unfolded protein responses (UPR) to cope with such a stressful situation. Increasing evidence suggests that ER stress is involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes, especially insulin resistance and the impairment of insulin secretion. In addition, several UPR components have been suggested to play a key role in diabetes. In the present review, we summarize and discuss recent knowledge of ER stress regarding the pathogenesis of diabetes