Vitamin K is an essential micronutrient known to regulate blood coagulation and bone health. It acts as a cofactor for an enzyme called gamma-glutamyl carboxylase, which adds a carboxyl group to glutamic acid residues in specific proteins, including several clotting factors. These gamma-carboxylated proteins are therefore known as “vitamin K-dependent proteins.” Epidemiological studies in humans suggest that higher vitamin K intake is associated with a reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes. However, the biological mechanisms by which vitamin K may influence diabetes remain incompletely understood. Beta cells, a unique cell type in the pancreas, produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, combined with a decreased ability of beta cells to secrete sufficient insulin. Our research aims to understand the function of vitamin K-dependent proteins in pancreatic beta cells and their potential role in the development of diabetes. Our approaches include using genetically modified mice lacking gamma-glutamyl carboxylase in pancreatic beta cells, unique proteomic methods to identify new vitamin K-dependent proteins, and advanced cell biology techniques to understand their function. In this presentation, I will discuss recent advances linking vitamin K to glucose metabolism in human and animal models. I will also highlight that identifying gamma-carboxylated proteins in beta cells is crucial for understanding how vitamin K may protect against diabetes and for designing targeted therapies for the disease.
Dr. Mathieu Ferron obtained his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Montreal under the supervision of Dr. Jean Vacher at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM). He then pursued postdoctoral training at Columbia University in New York with Dr. Gérard Karsenty, where he contributed to the discovery that bone acts as an endocrine organ influencing energy metabolism through the secretion of osteocalcin. In 2013, Dr. Ferron returned to IRCM as Director of the Molecular Physiology Research Unit and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Energy and Bone Metabolism. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Montreal. Leading his own team, Dr. Ferron continued his work on osteocalcin, elucidating the mechanisms controlling the synthesis and activation of this hormone and demonstrating that these discoveries are also applicable to humans. In recent years, Dr. Ferron’s team has also been focusing on the roles of vitamin K and vitamin K-dependent proteins in diabetes, particularly in pancreatic beta cells. Dr. Ferron has received funding from CIHR, NSERC, FRQS, Diabetes Canada, and the NIH. He has published over 50 scientific articles in top journals such as Cell, Cell Metabolism, and JCI, with over 12,000 citations. Finally, Dr. Ferron is highly involved in research networks and training programs at both the provincial and national levels, such as the Canadian Islet Research and Training Network (CIRTN) and the Club de recherches cliniques du Québec (CRCQ).