Laura Schwartz, Kristin Salamon, Aaron Simoni, Tad Eichler, Ashley R Jackson, Matthew Murtha, Brian Becknell, Andrew Kauffman, Sarah Linn-Peirano, Natalie Holdsworth, Vidhi Tyagi, Hancong Tang, Steve Rust, Hanna Cortado, Irina Zabbarova, Anthony Kanai, John David Spencer
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) commonly afflict people with diabetes. To better understand the mechanisms that predispose diabetics to UTIs, we employ diabetic mouse models and altered insulin signaling to show that insulin receptor (IR) shapes UTI defenses. Our findings are validated in human biosamples. We report that diabetic mice have suppressed IR expression and are more susceptible to UTIs caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Systemic IR inhibition increases UPEC susceptibility, while IR activation reduces UTIs...
March 21, 2024: Cell Reports