The protein osmotin, found in many plants, helps protect them against fungal infection. Osmotin is very similar to the human hormone adiponectin which regulates sugar uptake. In studies with mice adiponectin prevents the development of diabetes and the hardening of the arteries associated with heart disease.

The two molecules are so similar that osmotin binds to the same spot on muscle cells as the hormone and activates the cell as well. For this reason it may be possible to use the protein to treat diseases associated with low levels of adiponectin including obesity and heart disease.

It's very possible that the plant protein could play a role in the prevention of diseases like diabetes ...because it has the same target as adiponectin in mammal cells -- the adiponectin receptor, said Ray Bressan of Indiana’sPurdue University, one of the study's authors.

Source: Diabetes In Control.com: Molecular Cell January 21, 2005.