Cytosolic low molecular weight protein-tyrosine phosphatase activity and clinical manifestations of diabetes.

Background: Biochemical, epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that cytosolic low molecular weight protein-tyrosine phosphatase (cLMWPTP) genetic variability may have a role in the clinical manifestations of diabetes mellitus. In this article, the authors review data from their laboratory supporting the hypothesis that high cLMWPTP activity favors severe manifestations of diabetes.

Methods: In 829 type 2 diabetic patients, the authors have studied the association between clinical parameters and cLMWPTP activity. The cLMWPTP genotype was determined in all subjects.

Results: In diabetic subjects, low activity cLMWPTP protects against extreme increase of glycemic level (patients studied 489). The correlation between glycemic level and glycated hemoglobin concentration is increasing with cLMWPTP activity (patients studied 270). In diabetic subjects with coronary artery disease, left ventricular ejection fraction is negatively correlated with cLMWPTP activity (patients studied 70).

Conclusions: All these observations point to a negative effect of high cLMWPTP activity on clinical manifestation of diabetes in accordance with theoretical and experimental data and suggest that pharmacological decrease of cLMWPTP activity could have beneficial effects on the clinical evolution of this disease. Moreover, in diabetic subjects with high activity ACP1 genotype, an intensive treatment could help to prevent severe clinical manifestations.