Abstract

The prevalence of type II diabetes is rapidly increasing worldwide which the primary causes of it is the insulin resistance in peripheral tissues. Tightly coordinated co ntrol of both insulin function and secretion is required to maintain glucose homeostasis. Phosphatidyl Inositol 3 Kinase pathway (PI3K) is crucial in mediating insulin’s metabolic effects. A key downstream effector is AKT/protein kinase B (PKB), which in activated/ pho sphorylated form, regulates the activity of numerous ta rgets, including kinases, transcription factors and other regulatory molecules. On the other hand, studies have been performed to realize the role of negativ e modulators (specially the role of PTEN and SHIP2) of insulin signal transduction, in order to find therapeutic targets for r educing insulin resistance. In this article, the current u nderstanding of involved molecular mechanisms in the impaired insulin s ignaling pathway that causes Type II diabetes mellitus is reviewed.