Contributions of mathematical modeling of beta cells to the understanding of beta-cell oscillations and insulin secretion

Mathematical modeling of pancreatic beta cells has contributed significantly to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Early models of insulin secretion built in the 1970s were phenomenological with little biological foundation for the proposed mechanisms. In the 1980s, models focused on identifying the regulation of bursting electrical activity known to be important for insulin secretion. The main result was to reject proposed mechanisms as new data emerged, but important results of the role of cell-to-cell coupling were also established. New models have been proposed that provide possible explanations for the occurrence of various patterns of bursting and calcium oscillations. In addition, modeling has played an important role in comparing competing effects of calcium on both NADH and adenosine 3'-5'-cyclic monophosphate levels. Models including modern cell biological results of the regulation of insulin containing granules and cell heterogeneity have appeared, providing updated versions of the early models proposed in the 1970s. These models, when coupled to electrophysiological- and calcium-based ones, have the prospect to aid in understanding the overall picture of GSIS. In addition, they might be useful for estimating in vivo beta-cell functioning. Beta-cell modeling will likely move closer to clinical applications, where it can be expected to play an important role, as it has and will, in understanding the complex oscillatory phenomena observed in beta cells and islets.

Channel regulation of glucose sensing in the pancreatic beta-cell

Mammalian beta-cells are acutely and chronically regulated by sensing surrounding glucose levels that determine the rate at which insulin is secreted, to maintain euglycemia. Experimental research in vitro and in vivo has shown that, when these cells are exposed to adverse conditions like long periods of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, their capability to sense glucose is decreased. Understanding the normal physiology and identifying the main players along this route becomes paramount. In this review, we have taken on the task of looking at the role that ion channels play in the regulation of this process, delineating the different families, and describing the signaling that parallels the glucose sensing process that results in insulin release.

Molecular mechanisms and clinical implications of reversible protein S-glutathionylation

Sulfhydryl chemistry plays a vital role in normal biology and in defense of cells against oxidants, free radicals, and electrophiles. Modification of critical cysteine residues is an important mechanism of signal transduction, and perturbation of thiol-disulfide homeostasis is an important consequence of many diseases. A prevalent form of cysteine modification is reversible formation of protein mixed disulfides (protein-SSG) with glutathione (GSH). The abundance of GSH in cells and the ready conversion of sulfenic acids and S-nitroso derivatives to S-glutathione mixed disulfides suggests that reversible S-glutathionylation may be a common feature of redox signal transduction and regulation of the activities of redox sensitive thiol-proteins. The glutaredoxin enzyme has served as a focal point and important tool for evolution of this regulatory mechanism, because it is a specific and efficient catalyst of protein-SSG deglutathionylation. However, mechanisms of control of intracellular Grx activity in response to various stimuli are not well understood, and delineation of specific mechanisms and enzyme(s) involved in formation of protein-SSG intermediates requires further attention. A large number of proteins have been identified as potentially regulated by reversible S-glutathionylation, but only a few studies have documented glutathionylation-dependent changes in activity of specific proteins in a physiological context. Oxidative stress is a hallmark of many diseases which may interrupt or divert normal redox signaling and perturb protein-thiol homeostasis. Examples involving changes in S-glutathionylation of specific proteins are discussed in the context of diabetes, cardiovascular and lung diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Niemann-Pick disease type C1 is a sphingosine storage disease that causes deregulation of lysosomal calcium

Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) disease is a neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the acidic compartment (which we define as the late endosome and the lysosome) protein, NPC1. The function of NPC1 is unknown, but when it is dysfunctional, sphingosine, glycosphingolipids, sphingomyelin and cholesterol accumulate. We have found that NPC1-mutant cells have a large reduction in the acidic compartment calcium store compared to wild-type cells. Chelating luminal endocytic calcium in normal cells with high-affinity Rhod-dextran induced an NPC disease cellular phenotype. In a drug-induced NPC disease cellular model, sphingosine storage in the acidic compartment led to calcium depletion in these organelles, which then resulted in cholesterol, sphingomyelin and glycosphingolipid storage in these compartments. Sphingosine storage is therefore an initiating factor in NPC1 disease pathogenesis that causes altered calcium homeostasis, leading to the secondary storage of sphingolipids and cholesterol. This unique calcium phenotype represents a new target for therapeutic intervention, as elevation of cytosolic calcium with curcumin normalized NPC1 disease cellular phenotypes and prolonged survival of the NPC1 mouse.

Investigating cADPR and NAADP in intact and broken cell preparations

The body of literature characterizing cyclic adenosine diphosphoribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) as Ca2+-mobilizing second messengers is growing apace. However, their unique properties may, for the uninitiated, make them difficult to work with. This article reviews many of the available techniques (and associated pitfalls) for investigating these nucleotide messengers, predominantly focusing upon optical techniques using fluorescent reporters to measure Ca2+ in the cytosol as well as Ca2+ or pH within the lumen of intracellular organelles.

Enzyme isoforms may increase phenotypic robustness

Enzyme isoforms are found in many cellular reactions, and can differ in the kind of reaction they catalyze, in their substrate affinity, or in their reaction rates. The evolutionary significance of enzyme isoforms is only partially understood. We used mathematical modeling to investigate the hypothesis that isoforms may be favored by selection because they can increase the phenotypic robustness of the system. We modify a model for circadian clock gene expression in Drosophila to incorporate the presence of isoforms in the phosphorylation pathway of the period gene. We consider the case in which different isoforms catalyze the same reaction but have different affinities for the substrate. Stability is increased if there is dynamic control of the expression of isoforms relative to each other. Thus, we show that controlling isoform proportion can be a powerful mechanism for reducing the effects of variations in the values of system parameters, increasing system robustness.

Islet oxygen consumption and insulin secretion tightly coupled to calcium derived from L-type calcium channels but not from the endoplasmic reticulum

The aim of the study was to test whether the source of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) is a determinant of beta cell function. We hypothesized that elevations in cytosolic Ca2+ caused by the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) have little physiologic impact on oxygen consumption and insulin secretion. Ca2+ release from the ER was induced in isolated rat islets by acetylcholine and response of oxygen consumption rate (OCR), NAD(P)H, cytosolic Ca2+, and insulin secretory rate (ISR) were measured. Glucose increased all four parameters, and thereafter acetylcholine further increased cytosolic Ca2+, OCR, and ISR. To assess the contribution of Ca2+ release from the ER in mediating the effects of acetylcholine, ER Ca2+ stores were first emptied by inhibiting the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, which subsequently reduced the effect of acetylcholine on cytosolic Ca2+ but not its effects on OCR or ISR. As predicted, OCR and ISR were acutely sensitive to changes in L-type Ca2+ channel activity; nimodipine completely inhibited glucose-stimulated ISR and suppressed OCR by 36%, despite only inhibiting cytosolic Ca2+ by 46%. Moreover, in the presence of nimodipine and high glucose, acetylcholine still elevated cytosolic Ca2+ levels above those observed in the presence of high glucose alone but did not significantly stimulate ISR. In conclusion, Ca2+ flux through L-type Ca2+ channels was tightly coupled to changes in OCR and ISR. In contrast, the results obtained support the notion that Ca2+ release from the ER has little or no access to the intracellular machinery that regulates OCR and ISR.

Glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion, and islet phospholipids in mice that overexpress iPLA2beta in pancreatic beta-cells and in iPLA2beta-null mice

Studies with genetically modified insulinoma cells suggest that group VIA phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)beta) participates in amplifying glucose-induced insulin secretion. INS-1 insulinoma cells that overexpress iPLA(2)beta, for example, exhibit amplified insulin-secretory responses to glucose and cAMP-elevating agents. To determine whether similar effects occur in whole animals, we prepared transgenic (TG) mice in which the rat insulin 1 promoter (RIP) drives iPLA(2)beta overexpression, and two characterized TG mouse lines exhibit similar phenotypes. Their pancreatic islet iPLA(2)beta expression is increased severalfold, as reflected by quantitative PCR of iPLA(2)beta mRNA, immunoblotting of iPLA(2)beta protein, and iPLA(2)beta enzymatic activity. Immunofluorescence microscopic studies of pancreatic sections confirm iPLA(2)beta overexpression in RIP-iPLA(2)beta-TG islet beta-cells without obviously perturbed islet morphology. Male RIP-iPLA(2)beta-TG mice exhibit lower blood glucose and higher plasma insulin concentrations than wild-type (WT) mice when fasting and develop lower blood glucose levels in glucose tolerance tests, but WT and TG blood glucose levels do not differ in insulin tolerance tests. Islets from male RIP-iPLA(2)beta-TG mice exhibit greater amplification of glucose-induced insulin secretion by a cAMP-elevating agent than WT islets. In contrast, islets from male iPLA(2)beta-null mice exhibit blunted insulin secretion, and those mice have impaired glucose tolerance. Arachidonate incorporation into and the phospholipid composition of RIP-iPLA(2)beta-TG islets are normal, but they exhibit reduced Kv2.1 delayed rectifier current and prolonged glucose-induced action potentials and elevations of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration that suggest a molecular mechanism for the physiological role of iPLA(2)beta to amplify insulin secretion.

Glucose and endoplasmic reticulum calcium channels regulate HIF-1beta via presenilin in pancreatic beta-cells

Pancreatic beta-cell death is a critical event in type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and clinical islet transplantation. We have previously shown that prolonged block of ryanodine receptor (RyR)-gated release from intracellular Ca(2+) stores activates calpain-10-dependent apoptosis in beta-cells. In the present study, we further characterized intracellular Ca(2+) channel expression and function in human islets and the MIN6 beta-cell line. All three RyR isoforms were identified in human islets and MIN6 cells, and these endoplasmic reticulum channels were observed in close proximity to mitochondria. Blocking RyR channels, but not sarco/endoplasmic reticulum ATPase (SERCA) pumps, reduced the ATP/ADP ratio. Blocking Ca(2+) flux through RyR or inositol trisphosphate receptor channels, but not SERCA pumps, increased the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1beta). Moreover, inhibition of RyR or inositol trisphosphate receptor channels, but not SERCA pumps, increased the expression of presenilin-1. Both HIF-1beta and presenilin-1 expression were also induced by low glucose. Overexpression of presenilin-1 increased HIF-1beta, suggesting that HIF is downstream of presenilin. Our results provide the first evidence of a presenilin-HIF signaling network in beta-cells. We demonstrate that this pathway is controlled by Ca(2+) flux through intracellular channels, likely via changes in mitochondrial metabolism and ATP. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding of the signaling pathways activated when intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and metabolic activity are suppressed in diabetes and islet transplantation.

Deletion of one SERCA2 allele confers protection against bladder wall hypertrophy in a murine model of partial bladder outlet obstruction

The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase2 (SERCA2) is downregulated in cardiac hypertrophy with decompensation. We sought to determine whether mice heterozygous for the SERCA2 allele would develop greater bladder hypertrophy and decompensation than their wild-type littermates following partial bladder outlet obstruction (pBOO). We found that following 4 wk of surgically created pBOO, SERCA2 heterozygous murine bladders showed significantly less hypertrophy, improved in vitro cystometry performance, diminished expression of the slow myosin isoform A analyzed by RT-PCR, a significant drop in nuclear translocation of nuclear factor of activated T cells by EMSA, and decreased cell proliferation within the smooth muscle layer following 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine labeling compared with their wild-type littermates. Thus, in contrast to cardiac muscle, deletion of a SERCA2 allele confers protection against bladder hypertrophy in a murine model of pBOO. Compensatory mechanisms in heterozygous mice seem to be related to the calcineurin pathway. Further studies are underway to better define the molecular basis of this observation, which has potential clinical applications.

Artemisinin induces calcium-dependent protein secretion in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii

Intracellular calcium controls several crucial cellular events in apicomplexan parasites, including protein secretion, motility, and invasion into and egress from host cells. The plant compound thapsigargin inhibits the sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), resulting in elevated calcium and induction of protein secretion in Toxoplasma gondii. Artemisinins are natural products that show potent and selective activity against parasites, making them useful for the treatment of malaria. While the mechanism of action is uncertain, previous studies have suggested that artemisinin may inhibit SERCA, thus disrupting calcium homeostasis. We cloned the single-copy gene encoding SERCA in T. gondii (TgSERCA) and demonstrate that the protein localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum in the parasite. In extracellular parasites, TgSERCA partially relocalized to the apical pole, a highly active site for regulated secretion of micronemes. TgSERCA complemented a calcium ATPase-defective yeast mutant, and this activity was inhibited by either thapsigargin or artemisinin. Treatment of T. gondii with artemisinin triggered calcium-dependent secretion of microneme proteins, similar to the SERCA inhibitor thapsigargin. Artemisinin treatment also altered intracellular calcium in parasites by increasing the periodicity of calcium oscillations and inducing recurrent, strong calcium spikes, as imaged using Fluo-4 labeling. Collectively, these results demonstrate that artemisinin perturbs calcium homeostasis in T. gondii, supporting the idea that Ca2+-ATPases are potential drug targets in parasites.

The electrophysiology of the beta-cell based on single transmembrane protein characteristics

The electrophysiology of beta-cells is at the origin of insulin secretion. beta-Cells exhibit a complex behavior upon stimulation with glucose including repeated bursts and continuous spiking. Mathematical modeling is most suitable to improve knowledge about the function of various transmembrane currents provided the model is based on reliable data. This is the first attempt to build a mathematical model for the beta-cell electrophysiology in a bottom-up approach that relies on single protein conductance data. The results of previous whole-cell-based models are reconsidered. The full simulation including all prominent transmembrane proteins in beta-cells is used to provide a functional interpretation of their role in beta-cell bursting and an updated vantage point of beta-cell electrophysiology. As a result of a number of in silico knock-out and block experiments the novel model makes some unexpected predictions: single-channel conductance data imply that large-conductance calcium-gated potassium currents acquire the potential of driving oscillations at supralarge glucose levels. A more complex burst interruption model is presented. It also turns out that, depending on the species, sodium currents may be more relevant than considered so far. Experiments are proposed to verify these predictions.

Effects of both glucose and IP3 concentrations on action potentials in pancreatic beta-cells

Considering the ATP-driven (SERCA) pump flux as function of glucose concentration and the calcium flux from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through the IP(3)R channel, the calcium-based phantom bursting model (PBM) of beta-cells (Bertram and Sherman in Bull Math Biol 66:1313, 2004) is theoretically extended to discuss the effects of glucose and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) concentration on the membrane potential activities. When IP(3) concentration is fixed, it is found that there is a critical glucose concentration at which electrical bursting oscillations transfer into spiking, and the critical concentration of glucose is increased with the increasing of IP(3) concentration. To get the bursting oscillations in beta-cells, our theoretical results show that the stimulatory glucose concentration should be more than 10 mM, which is consistent with the normal physiological IP(3) level. When the stochastic opening and closing of IP(3)R channels are considered, it is shown that the membrane potential oscillation transfers from spiking to bursting with the channel number decreasing, and the average cytosolic free Ca(2+) concentration is increased with the increase of glucose concentration.

SERCA pumps and human diseases

Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum (SER) Ca2+ ATPases represent a highly conserved family of Ca2+ pumps which actively transport Ca2+ from the cytosol to the SER against a large concentration gradient. In humans, 3 genes (ATP2A1-3) generate multiple isoforms (SERCAla,b, SERCA2a-c, SECA3a-f) by developmental or tissue-specific alternative splicing. These pumps differ by their regulatory and kinetic properties, allowing for optimized function in the tissue where they are expressed. They play a central role in calcium signalling through regenerating SER Ca2+ stores, maintaining appropriate Ca2+ levels in this organelle and shaping cytosolic and nuclear Ca2+ variations which govern cell response. Defects in ATP2A1 encoding SERCA1 cause recessive Brody myopathy, mutations in ATP2A2 coding for SERCA2 underlie a dominant skin disease, Darier disease and its clinical variants. SERCA2a expression is reduced in heart failure in human and in mice models. Gene-targeting studies in mouse confirmed the expected function of these isoforms in some cases, but also resulted in unexpected phenotypes: SERCA1 null mutants die from respiratory failure, SERCA2 heterozygous mutant mice develop skin cancer with age and SERCA3 null mice display no diabetes. These unique phenotypes have provided invaluable information on the role of these pumps in specific tissues and species, and have improved our understanding of Ca2+ regulated processes in muscles, the heart and the skin in human and in mice. Although the understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases is still incomplete, these recent advances hold the promise of improved knowledge on the disease processes and the identification of new targets for therapeutic interventions.

Ca2+ microdomains and the control of insulin secretion

Nutrient-induced increases in intracellular free Ca(2+) concentrations are the key trigger for insulin release from pancreatic islet beta-cells. These Ca(2+) changes are tightly regulated temporally, occurring as Ca(2+) influx-dependent baseline oscillations. We explore here the concept that locally high [Ca(2+)] concentrations (i.e. Ca(2+) microdomains) may control exocytosis via the recruitment of key effector proteins to sites of exocytosis. Importantly, recent advances in the development of organelle- and membrane-targeted green fluorescent protein (GFP-) or aequorin-based Ca(2+) indicators, as well as in rapid imaging techniques, are providing new insights into the potential role of these Ca(2+) microdomains in beta-cells. We summarise here some of the evidence indicating that Ca(2+) microdomains beneath the plasma membrane and at the surface of large dense core vesicles may be important in the normal regulation of insulin secretion, and may conceivably contribute to "ATP-sensitive K(+)-channel independent" effects of glucose. We also discuss evidence that, in contrast to certain non-excitable cells, direct transfer of Ca(2+) from the ER to mitochondria via localised physical contacts between these organelles is relatively less important for efficient mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake in beta-cells. Finally, we discuss evidence from single cell imaging that increases in cytosolic Ca(2+) are not required for the upstroke of oscillations in mitochondrial redox state, but may underlie the reoxidation process.

Role of calcium in the gating of isoproterenol-induced arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase gene expression in the mouse pineal gland

Melatonin and its autonomic regulation serve important physiological functions. We recently demonstrated that stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors only increases nighttime arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (Aa-Nat, the rate-limiting enzyme in melatonin synthesis) mRNA levels in mouse pineal gland in vitro, which suggests that pineal clocks may gate Aa-Nat gene expression. In the present study, our data reveal that cAMP analog increased Aa-Nat at any time of day but only in the presence of ionomycin. Using Fura-2AM in ratiometric calcium measurements, we show that isoproterenol stimulation increased intracellular free calcium levels at night, contrary to previous reports. Further, intra- or extracellular calcium depletion suppressed the isoproterenol-induced calcium responses as well as Aa-Nat gene expression. These results suggest calcium may be a critical factor in isoproterenol-induced Aa-Nat gene expression, which may be limited in the daytime. We also found that basal intracellular calcium levels were lower during the night and responses to isoproterenol and KCl depolarization were more robust. In addition, pineals of Cryptochrome mutant mice exhibited no significant difference between day and nighttime basal calcium or isoproterenol response. Together, these results suggest that basal calcium levels in the pineal may be controlled by the endogenous pineal clock, which may influence calcium dynamics, cellular homeostasis and sensitivity to external stimulation. Although the mechanism underlying Aa-Nat gene expression has been well studied, the role of calcium as a link between the pineal clock and Aa-Nat gene expression has been underestimated in rodent pineals.

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase type 3 isoforms (SERCA3b and SERCA3f): Distinct roles in cell adhesion and ER stress

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)ATPases (SERCAs) pump free Ca(2+) from the cytosol into the endoplasmic reticulum. The human SERCA3 family counts six members named SERCA3a to 3f. However, the exact role of these different isoforms in cellular physiology remains undetermined. In this study, we compared some physiological consequences of SERCA3b and SERCA3f overexpression in HEK-293 cells. We observed that overexpression of SERCA3b affected cell adhesion capacity associated with a major disorganization of F-actin and a decrease in focal adhesion. Furthermore, we found that SERCA3f overexpression resulted in an increase in endoplasmic reticulum stress markers (including processing of X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1) mRNA and expression of chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78)). This was associated with the activation of caspase cascade and a higher spontaneous cell death. In conclusion, these data point for the first time to distinct physiological roles of SERCA3 isoforms in cell functions.

Glucose modulates [Ca2+]i oscillations in pancreatic islets via ionic and glycolytic mechanisms

Pancreatic islets of Langerhans display complex intracellular calcium changes in response to glucose that include fast (seconds), slow ( approximately 5 min), and mixed fast/slow oscillations; the slow and mixed oscillations are likely responsible for the pulses of plasma insulin observed in vivo. To better understand the mechanisms underlying these diverse patterns, we systematically analyzed the effects of glucose on period, amplitude, and plateau fraction (the fraction of time spent in the active phase) of the various regimes of calcium oscillations. We found that in both fast and slow islets, increasing glucose had limited effects on amplitude and period, but increased plateau fraction. In some islets, however, glucose caused a major shift in the amplitude and period of oscillations, which we attribute to a conversion between ionic and glycolytic modes (i.e., regime change). Raising glucose increased the plateau fraction equally in fast, slow, and regime-changing islets. A mathematical model of the pancreatic islet consisting of an ionic subsystem interacting with a slower metabolic oscillatory subsystem can account for these complex islet calcium oscillations by modifying the relative contributions of oscillatory metabolism and oscillatory ionic mechanisms to electrical activity, with coupling occurring via K(ATP) channels.

Expression des pompes calciques de type SERCA au cours de la différenciation cellulaire et de la tumorigenèse: application à la carcinogenèse colique

Calcium homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is involved in intracellular signaling pathways and is implicated in major cell functions such as cell growth, differentiation, protein synthesis and apoptosis. The accumulation of calcium in the ER is performed by specific sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPases (SERCA iso-enzymes). The expression of biochemically distinct SERCA isoforms is cell type dependent and developmentally regulated. This review summarizes pertinent data about the modulation of the expression of SERCA enzymes during the differentiation of normal and tumor cells. These data support the implication of SERCA pumps and especially SERCA3 in the differentiation program of cancer and leukemia cells. During the multi-step process of colon carcinogenesis, the decrease of SERCA3 expression seems to be linked to enhanced APC/ss-catenin/TCF4 signaling and deficient Sp1-like factor-dependent transcription.

Contributions of Intracellular Compartments to Calcium Dynamics: Implicating an Acidic Store

Many cells show a plateau of elevated cytosolic Ca(2+) after a long depolarization, suggesting delayed Ca(2+) release from intracellular compartments such as mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Mouse pancreatic beta-cells show a thapsigargin-sensitive plateau ('hump') of Ca(2+) after a 30 s depolarization but not after a 10 s depolarization. Surprisingly, this hump depends primarily on compartments other than the mitochondria or ER. It is reduced by only 22% upon blocking mitochondrial Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchange and by only 18% upon blocking ryanodine or IP(3) receptors together. Further, the time course of ER Ca(2+) measured by a targeted cameleon does not depend on the duration of depolarizations. Instead, the hump is reduced 35% by treatments with the dipeptide glycylphenylalanine beta-napthylamide, a tool often used to lyse lysosomes. We show that this dipeptide does not disturb ER functions, but it lyses acidic compartments and releases Ca(2+) into the cytosol. Moreover, it induces leaks in and possibly lyses insulin granules and stops mobilization of secretory granules to the readily releasable pool in beta-cells. We conclude that the dipeptide compromises dense-core secretory granules and that these granules comprise an acidic calcium store in beta-cells whose loading and/or release is sensitive to thapsigargin and which releases Ca(2+) after cytosolic Ca(2+) elevation.

Transcription of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase type 3 gene, ATP2A3, is regulated by the calcineurin/NFAT pathway in endothelial cells

Histamine, known to induce Ca2+ oscillations in endothelial cells, was used to alter Ca2+ cycling. Treatment of HUVEC (human umbilical-vein endothelial cell)-derived EA.hy926 cells with histamine for 1-3 days increased the levels of SERCA (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase) 3, but not of SERCA 2b, transcripts and proteins. Promoter-reporter gene assays demonstrated that this increase in expression was due to activation of SERCA 3 gene transcription. The effect of histamine was abolished by mepyramine, but not by cimetidine, indicating that the H1 receptor, but not the H2 receptor, was involved. The histamine-induced up-regulation of SERCA 3 was abolished by cyclosporin A and by VIVIT, a peptide that prevents calcineurin and NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T-cells) from interacting, indicating involvement of the calcineurin/NFAT pathway. Histamine also induced the nuclear translocation of NFAT. NFAT did not directly bind to the SERCA 3 promoter, but activated Ets-1 (E twenty-six-1), which drives the expression of the SERCA 3 gene. Finally, cells treated with histamine and loaded with fura 2 exhibited an improved capacity in eliminating high cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations, in accordance with an increase in activity of a low-affinity Ca2+-ATPase, like SERCA 3. Thus chronic treatment of endothelial cells with histamine up-regulates SERCA 3 transcription. The effect of histamine is mediated by the H1R (histamine 1 receptor) and involves activation of the calcineurin/NFAT pathway. By increasing the rate of Ca2+ sequestration, up-regulation of SERCA 3 counteracts the cytosolic increase in Ca2+ concentration.

Dominant role of sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase pump in Ca2+ homeostasis and exocytosis in rat pancreatic beta-cells

The exocytosis of insulin-containing granules from pancreatic beta-cells is tightly regulated by changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). We investigated the role of the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) pump, Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, and plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase pump in the Ca2+ dynamics of single rat pancreatic beta-cells. When the membrane potential was voltage clamped at -70 mV (in 3 mm glucose at approximately 22 or 35 C), SERCA pump inhibition dramatically slowed (approximately 4-fold) cytosolic Ca2+ clearance and caused a sustained rise in basal [Ca2+]i via the activation of capacitative Ca2+ entry. SERCA pump inhibition increased ( approximately 1.8-fold) the amplitude of the depolarization-triggered Ca2+ transient at approximately 22 C. Inhibition of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger or plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase pump had only minor effects on Ca2+ dynamics. Simultaneous measurement of [Ca2+]i and exocytosis (with capacitance measurement) revealed that SERCA pump inhibition increased the magnitude of depolarization-triggered exocytosis. This enhancement in exocytosis was not due to the slowing of the cytosolic Ca2+ clearance but was closely correlated to the increase in the peak of the depolarization-triggered Ca2+ transient. When compared at similar [Ca2+]i with controls, the rise in basal [Ca2+]i during SERCA pump inhibition did not cause any enhancement in the magnitude of the ensuing depolarization-triggered exocytosis. Therefore, we conclude that in rat pancreatic beta-cells, the rapid uptake of Ca2+ by SERCA pump limits the peak amplitude of depolarization-triggered [Ca2+]i rise and thus controls the amount of insulin secretion.

Glucose-induced mixed [Ca2+]c oscillations in mouse beta-cells are controlled by the membrane potential and the SERCA3 Ca2+-ATPase of the endoplasmic reticulum

Stimulatory concentrations of glucose induce two patterns of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) oscillations in mouse islets: simple or mixed. In the mixed pattern, rapid oscillations are superimposed on slow ones. In the present study, we examined the role of the membrane potential in the mixed pattern and the impact of this pattern on insulin release. Simultaneous measurement of [Ca2+]c and insulin release from single islets revealed that mixed [Ca2+]c oscillations triggered synchronous oscillations of insulin secretion. Simultaneous recordings of membrane potential in a single beta-cell within an islet and of [Ca2+]c in the whole islet demonstrated that the mixed pattern resulted from compound bursting (i.e., clusters of membrane potential oscillations separated by prolonged silent intervals) that was synchronized in most beta-cells of the islet. Each slow [Ca2+]c increase during mixed oscillations was due to a progressive summation of rapid oscillations. Digital image analysis confirmed the good synchrony between subregions of an islet. By contrast, islets from sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase isoform 3 (SERCA3)-knockout mice did not display typical mixed [Ca2+]c oscillations in response to glucose. This results from a lack of progressive summation of rapid oscillations and from altered spontaneous electrical activity, i.e., lack of compound bursting, and membrane potential oscillations characterized by lower-frequency but larger-depolarization phases than observed in SERCA3+/+ beta-cells. We conclude that glucose-induced mixed [Ca2+]c oscillations result from compound bursting in all beta-cells of the islet. Disruption of SERCA3 abolishes mixed [Ca2+]c oscillations and augments beta-cell depolarization. This latter observation indicates that the endoplasmic reticulum participates in the control of the beta-cell membrane potential during glucose stimulation.

Restitution of defective glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in diabetic GK rat by acetylcholine uncovers paradoxical stimulatory effect of beta-cell muscarinic receptor activation on cAMP production

Because acetylcholine (ACh) is a recognized potentiator of glucose-stimulated insulin release in the normal beta-cell, we have studied ACh's effect on islets of the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, a spontaneous model of type 2 diabetes. We first verified that ACh was able to restore the insulin secretory glucose competence of the GK beta-cell. Then, we demonstrated that in GK islets 1) ACh elicited a first-phase insulin release at low glucose, whereas it had no effect in Wistar; 2) total phospholipase C activity, ACh-induced inositol phosphate production, and intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) elevation were normal; 3) ACh triggered insulin release, even in the presence of thapsigargin, which induced a reduction of the ACh-induced [Ca2+]i response (suggesting that ACh produces amplification signals that augment the efficacy of elevated [Ca2+]i on GK exocytosis); 4) inhibition of protein kinase C did not affect [Ca2+]i nor the insulin release responses to ACh; and 5) inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinases (PKAs), adenylyl cyclases, or cAMP generation, while not affecting the [Ca2+]i response, significantly lowered the insulinotropic response to ACh (at low and high glucose). In conclusion, ACh acts mainly through activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway to potently enhance Ca2+-stimulated insulin release in the GK beta-cell and, in doing so, normalizes its defective glucose responsiveness.

Dominant role of mitochondria in calcium homeostasis of single rat pituitary corticotropes

The rise in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) is the major trigger for secretion of ACTH from pituitary corticotropes. To better understand the shaping of the Ca2+ signal in corticotropes, we investigated the mechanisms regulating the depolarization-triggered Ca2+ signal using patch-clamp techniques and indo-1 fluorometry. The rate of cytosolic Ca2+ clearance was unaffected by inhibitors of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger or plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA), slightly slowed by sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) inhibitor, but dramatically slowed by mitochondrial uncouplers or inhibitor of mitochondrial uniporter. Measurements with rhod-2 revealed that depolarization-triggered increase in mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration. Thus, mitochondria have a dominant role in cytosolic Ca2+ clearance. Using the Mn2+ quench technique, we found the presence of a continuous basal Ca2+ influx in corticotropes. This basal Ca2+ influx was balanced by the combined actions of mitochondrial uniporter and PMCA and SERCA pumps. Inhibition of the mitochondrial uniporter or PMCA or SERCA pumps elevated basal [Ca2+]i. Using membrane capacitance measurement, we found that the change in the shape of the depolarization-triggered Ca2+ signal after mitochondrial inhibition was associated with enhancement of the exocytotic response. Thus, mitochondria have a dominant role in the regulation of Ca2+ signal and exocytosis in corticotropes.

Inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate dynamics and intracellular calcium oscillations in pancreatic beta-cells

Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion is associated with transients of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the pancreatic beta-cell. We tested the hypothesis that inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] [Ca2+]i release is incorporated in glucose-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations in mouse islets and MIN6 cells. We found that depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin increased the oscillation frequency by twofold and inhibited the slow recovery phase of [Ca2+]i oscillations. We employed a pleckstrin homology domain-containing fluorescent biosensor, phospholipase C partial differential pleckstrin homology domain-enhanced green fluorescent protein, to visualize Ins(1,4,5)P3 dynamics in insulin-secreting MIN6 cells and mouse islets in real time using a video-rate confocal system. In both types of cells, stimulation with carbamoylcholine (CCh) and depolarization with KCl results in an increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation in the cytoplasm. When stimulated with glucose, the Ins(1,4,5)P3 concentration in the cytoplasm oscillates in parallel with oscillations of [Ca2+]i. Maximal accumulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 in these oscillations coincides with the peak of [Ca2+]i and tracks changes in frequencies induced by the voltage-gated K+ channel blockade. We show that Ins(1,4,5)P3 release in insulin-secreting cells can be stimulated by depolarization-induced Ca2+ flux. We conclude that Ins(1,4,5)P3 concentration oscillates in parallel with [Ca2+]i in response to glucose stimulation, but it is not the driving force for [Ca2+]i oscillations.

The loss of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPase 3 expression is an early event during the multistep process of colon carcinogenesis

Calcium accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum is accomplished by sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPases (SERCA enzymes). To better characterize the role of SERCA3 in colon carcinogenesis, its expression has been investigated in colonic epithelium, benign lesions, adenomas, and adenocarcinomas. In addition, the regulation of SERCA3 expression was analyzed in the context of the adenomatous polyposis coli/beta-catenin/T-cell factor 4 (TCF4) pathway and of specificity protein 1 (Sp1)-like factor-dependent transcription. We report that SERCA3 expression increased along the crypts as cells differentiated in normal colonic mucosa and in hyperplastic polyps, was moderately and heterogeneously expressed in colonic adenomas with expression levels inversely correlated with the degree of dysplasia, was barely detectable in well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas, and was absent in poorly differentiated tumors. Inhibition of Sp1-like factor-dependent transcription blocked SERCA3 expression during cell differentiation, and SERCA3 expression was induced by the expression of dominant-negative TCF4 in colon cancer cells. These data link SERCA3 expression to the state of differentiation of colonic epithelial cells, and relate SERCA3 expression, already decreased in adenomas, to enhanced adenomatous polyposis coli/beta-catenin/TCF4-dependent signaling and deficient Sp1-like factor-dependent transcription. In conclusion, intracellular calcium homeostasis becomes progressively anomalous during colon carcinogenesis as reflected by deficient SERCA3 expression.

A cAMP and Ca2+ coincidence detector in support of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in mouse pancreatic beta cells

The blood glucose-lowering hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) stimulates cAMP production, promotes Ca2+ influx, and mobilizes an intracellular source of Ca2+ in pancreatic beta cells. Here we provide evidence that these actions of GLP-1 are functionally related: they reflect a process of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) that requires activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and the Epac family of cAMP-regulated guanine nucleotide exchange factors (cAMPGEFs). In rat insulin-secreting INS-1 cells or mouse beta cells loaded with caged Ca2+ (NP-EGTA), a GLP-1 receptor agonist (exendin-4) is demonstrated to sensitize intracellular Ca2+ release channels to stimulatory effects of cytosolic Ca2+, thereby allowing CICR to be generated by the uncaging of Ca2+ (UV flash photolysis). This sensitizing action of exendin-4 is diminished by an inhibitor of PKA (H-89) or by overexpression of dominant negative Epac. It is reproduced by cell-permeant cAMP analogues that activate PKA (6-Bnz-cAMP) or Epac (8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP) selectively. Depletion of Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin abolishes CICR, while inhibitors of Ca2+ release channels (ryanodine and heparin) attenuate CICR in an additive manner. Because the uncaging of Ca2+ fails to stimulate CICR in the absence of cAMP-elevating agents, it is concluded that there exists in beta cells a process of second messenger coincidence detection, whereby intracellular Ca2+ release channels (ryanodine receptors, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors) monitor a simultaneous increase of cAMP and Ca2+ concentrations. We propose that second messenger coincidence detection of this type may explain how GLP-1 interacts with beta cell glucose metabolism to stimulate insulin secretion.

Crosstalk between membrane potential and cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in beta cells from Sur1-/- mice

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Islets or beta cells from Sur1(-/-) mice were used to determine whether changes in plasma membrane potential (V(m)) remain coupled to changes in cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) in the absence of K(ATP) channels and thus provide a triggering signal for insulin secretion. The study also sought to elucidate whether [Ca(2+)](i) influences oscillations in V(m) in sur1(-/-) beta cells.

METHODS

Plasma membrane potential and ion currents were measured with microelectrodes and the patch-clamp technique. [Ca(2+)](i) was monitored with the fluorescent dye fura-2. Insulin secretion from isolated islets was determined by static incubations.

RESULTS

Membrane depolarisation of Sur1(-/-) islets by arginine or increased extracellular K(+), elevated [Ca(2+)](i) and augmented insulin secretion. Oligomycin completely abolished glucose-stimulated insulin release from Sur1(-/-) islets. Oscillations in V(m) were influenced by [Ca(2+)](i) as follows: (1) elevation of extracellular Ca(2+) lengthened phases of membrane hyperpolarisation; (2) simulating a burst of action potentials induced a Ca(2+)-dependent outward current that was augmented by increased Ca(2+) influx through L-type Ca(2+) channels; (3) Ca(2+) depletion of intracellular stores by cyclopiazonic acid increased the burst frequency in Sur1(-/-) islets, elevating [Ca(2+)](i) and insulin secretion; (4) store depletion activated a Ca(2+) influx that was not inhibitable by the L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker D600.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Although V(m) is largely uncoupled from glucose metabolism in the absence of K(ATP) channels, increased electrical activity leads to elevations of [Ca(2+)](i) that are sufficient to stimulate insulin secretion. In Sur1(-/-) beta cells, [Ca(2+)](i) exerts feedback mechanisms on V(m) by activating a hyperpolarising outward current and by depolarising V(m) via store-operated ion channels.

Suramin and disulfonated stilbene derivatives stimulate the Ca2+-induced Ca2+ -release mechanism in A7r5 cells

We have described previously a novel Ca2+-induced Ca2+-release (CICR) mechanism in permeabilized A7r5 cells (embryonic rat aorta) and 16HBE14o-cells (human bronchial mucosa) cells (J Biol Chem 278:27548-27555, 2003). This CICR mechanism was activated upon the elevation of the free cytosolic calcium concentration [Ca2+]c and was not inhibited by pharmacological inhibitors of the inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor nor of the ryanodine receptor. This CICR mechanism was inhibited by calmodulin (CaM)1234, a Ca2+-insensitive CaM mutant, and by different members of the superfamily of CaM-like Ca2+-binding proteins. Here, we present evidence that the CICR mechanism that is expressed in A7r5 and 16HBE14o-cells is strongly activated by suramin and 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS). We found several indications that both activation mechanisms are indeed two different modes of the same release system. Suramin/DIDS-induced Ca2+ release was only detected in cells that displayed the CICR mechanism, and cell types that do not express this type of CICR mechanism did not exhibit suramin/DIDS-induced Ca2+ release. Furthermore, we show that the suramin-stimulated Ca2+ release is regulated by Ca2+ and CaM in a similar way as the previously described CICR mechanism. The pharmacological characterization of the suramin/DIDS-induced Ca2+ release further confirms its properties as a novel CaM-regulated Ca2+-release mechanism. We also investigated the effects of disulfonated stilbene derivatives on IP3-induced Ca2+ release and found, in contrast to the effect on CICR, a strong inhibition by DIDS and 4'-acetoamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2',2'-disulfonic acid.

Group VIA phospholipase A2 forms a signaling complex with the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIbeta expressed in pancreatic islet beta-cells

Insulin-secreting pancreatic islet beta-cells express a Group VIA Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)beta) that contains a calmodulin binding site and protein interaction domains. We identified Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIbeta (CaMKIIbeta) as a potential iPLA(2)beta-interacting protein by yeast two-hybrid screening of a cDNA library using iPLA(2)beta cDNA as bait. Cloning CaMKIIbeta cDNA from a rat islet library revealed that one dominant CaMKIIbeta isoform mRNA is expressed by adult islets and is not observed in brain or neonatal islets and that there is high conservation of the isoform expressed by rat and human beta-cells. Binary two-hybrid assays using DNA encoding this isoform as bait and iPLA(2)beta DNA as prey confirmed interaction of the enzymes, as did assays with CaMKIIbeta as prey and iPLA(2)beta bait. His-tagged CaMKIIbeta immobilized on metal affinity matrices bound iPLA(2)beta, and this did not require exogenous calmodulin and was not prevented by a calmodulin antagonist or the Ca(2+) chelator EGTA. Activities of both enzymes increased upon their association, and iPLA(2)beta reaction products reduced CaMKIIbeta activity. Both the iPLA(2)beta inhibitor bromoenol lactone and the CaMKIIbeta inhibitor KN93 reduced arachidonate release from INS-1 insulinoma cells, and both inhibit insulin secretion. CaMKIIbeta and iPLA(2)beta can be coimmunoprecipitated from INS-1 cells, and forskolin, which amplifies glucose-induced insulin secretion, increases the abundance of the immunoprecipitatable complex. These findings suggest that iPLA(2)beta and CaMKIIbeta form a signaling complex in beta-cells, consistent with reports that both enzymes participate in insulin secretion and that their expression is coinduced upon differentiation of pancreatic progenitor to endocrine progenitor cells.

Cytokines downregulate the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum pump Ca2+ ATPase 2b and deplete endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+, leading to induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress in pancreatic beta-cells

Cytokines and free radicals are mediators of beta-cell death in type 1 diabetes. Under in vitro conditions, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) + gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) induce nitric oxide (NO) production and apoptosis in rodent and human pancreatic beta-cells. We have previously shown, by microarray analysis of primary beta-cells, that IL-1beta + IFN-gamma decrease expression of the mRNA encoding for the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum pump Ca(2+) ATPase 2b (SERCA2b) while inducing expression of the endoplasmic reticulum stress-related and proapoptotic gene CHOP (C/EBP [CCAAT/enhancer binding protein] homologous protein). In the present study we show that cytokine-induced apoptosis and necrosis in primary rat beta-cells and INS-1E cells largely depends on NO production. IL-1beta + IFN-gamma, via NO synthesis, markedly decreased SERCA2b protein expression and depleted ER Ca(2+) stores. Of note, beta-cells showed marked sensitivity to apoptosis induced by SERCA blockers, as compared with fibroblasts. Cytokine-induced ER Ca(2+) depletion was paralleled by an NO-dependent induction of CHOP protein and activation of diverse components of the ER stress response, including activation of inositol-requiring ER-to-nucleus signal kinase 1alpha (IRE1alpha) and PRK (RNA-dependent protein kinase)-like ER kinase (PERK)/activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), but not ATF6. In contrast, the ER stress-inducing agent thapsigargin triggered these four pathways in parallel. In conclusion, our results suggest that the IL-1beta + IFN-gamma-induced decrease in SERCA2b expression, with subsequent depletion of ER Ca(2+) and activation of the ER stress pathway, is a potential contributory mechanism to beta-cell death.

Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release by activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors in primary pancreatic beta-cells

The effect of sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) inhibition on the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) was studied in primary insulin-releasing pancreatic beta-cells isolated from mice, rats and human subjects as well as in clonal rat insulinoma INS-1 cells. In Ca(2+)-deficient medium the individual primary beta-cells reacted to the SERCA inhibitor cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) with a slow rise of [Ca(2+)](i) followed by an explosive transient elevation. The [Ca(2+)](i) transients were preferentially observed at low intracellular concentrations of the Ca(2+) indicator fura-2 and were unaffected by pre-treatment with 100 microM ryanodine. Whereas 20mM caffeine had no effect on basal [Ca(2+)](i) or the slow rise in response to CPA, it completely prevented the CPA-induced [Ca(2+)](i) transients as well as inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-mediated [Ca(2+)](i) transients in response to carbachol. In striking contrast to the primary beta-cells, caffeine readily mobilized intracellular Ca(2+) in INS-1 cells under identical conditions, and such mobilization was prevented by ryanodine pre-treatment. The results indicate that leakage of Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum after SERCA inhibition is feedback-accelerated by Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR). In primary pancreatic beta-cells this CICR is due to activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors. CICR by ryanodine receptor activation may be restricted to clonal beta-cells.

Phenotypes of SERCA and PMCA knockout mice

P-type Ca2+-ATPases of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum (SERCAs) and plasma membrane (PMCAs) are responsible for maintaining the Ca2+ gradients across cellular membranes that are required for regulation of Ca2+-mediated signaling and other biological processes. Gene-targeting studies of SERCA isoforms 1, 2, and 3 and PMCA isoforms 1, 2, and 4 have confirmed some of the general functions proposed for these pumps, such as a major role in excitation-contraction coupling for SERCA1 and SERCA2 and housekeeping functions for PMCA1 and SERCA2, but have also revealed some unexpected phenotypes. These include squamous cell cancer and plasticity in the regulation of Ca2+-mediated exocytosis in SERCA2 heterozygous mutant mice, modulation of Ca2+ signaling in SERCA3-deficient mice, deafness and balance disorders in PMCA2 null mice, and male infertility in PMCA4 null mice. These unique phenotypes provide new information about the cellular functions of these pumps, the requirement of their activities for higher order physiological processes, and the pathophysiological consequences of pump dysfunction.

Filtering of calcium transients by the endoplasmic reticulum in pancreatic beta-cells

Calcium handling in pancreatic beta-cells is important for intracellular signaling, the control of electrical activity, and insulin secretion. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a key organelle involved in the storage and release of intracellular Ca2+. Using mathematical modeling, we analyze the filtering properties of the ER and clarify the dual role that it plays as both a Ca2+ source and a Ca2+ sink. We demonstrate that recent time-dependent data on the free Ca2+ concentration in pancreatic islets and beta-cell clusters can be explained with a model that uses a passive ER that takes up Ca2+ when the cell is depolarized and the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration is elevated, and releases Ca2+ when the cell is repolarized and the cytosolic Ca2+ is at a lower concentration. We find that Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release is not necessary to explain the data, and indeed the model is inconsistent with the data if Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release is a dominating factor. Finally, we show that a three-compartment model that includes a subspace compartment between the ER and the plasma membrane provides the best agreement with the experimental Ca2+ data.

Endoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPase expression during differentiation of colon cancer and leukaemia cells

The calcium homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is connected to a multitude of cell functions involved in intracellular signal transduction, control of proliferation, programmed cell death, or the synthesis of mature proteins. Calcium is accumulated in the ER by various biochemically distinct sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPase isoenzymes (SERCA isoforms). Experimental data indicate that the SERCA composition of some carcinoma and leukaemia cell types undergoes significant changes during differentiation, and that this is accompanied by modifications of SERCA-dependent calcium accumulation in the ER. Because ER calcium homeostasis can also influence cell differentiation, we propose that the modulation of the expression of various SERCA isoforms, and in particular, the induction of the expression of SERCA3-type proteins, is an integral part of the differentiation program of some cancer and leukaemia cell types. The SERCA content of the ER may constitute a new parameter by which the calcium homeostatic characteristics of the organelle are adjusted. The cross-talk between ER calcium homeostasis and cell differentiation may have some implications for the better understanding of the signalling defects involved in the acquisition and maintenance of the malignant phenotype.

Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors is amplified by protein kinase A and triggers exocytosis in pancreatic beta-cells

Hormones, such as glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1, potently amplify nutrient stimulated insulin secretion by raising cAMP. We have studied how cAMP affects Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR) in pancreatic beta-cells from mice and rats and the role of CICR in secretion. CICR was observed as pronounced Ca(2+) spikes on top of glucose- or depolarization-dependent rise of the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). cAMP-elevating agents strongly promoted CICR. This effect involved sensitization of the receptors underlying CICR, because many cells exhibited the characteristic Ca(2+) spiking at low or even in the absence of depolarization-dependent elevation of [Ca(2+)](i). The cAMP effect was mimicked by a specific activator of protein kinase A in cells unresponsive to activators of cAMP-regulated guanine nucleotide exchange factor. Ryanodine pretreatment, which abolishes CICR mediated by ryanodine receptors, did not prevent CICR. Moreover, a high concentration of caffeine, known to activate ryanodine receptors independently of Ca(2+), failed to mobilize intracellular Ca(2+). On the contrary, a high caffeine concentration abolished CICR by interfering with inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP(3)Rs). Therefore, the cell-permeable IP(3)R antagonist 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate blocked the cAMP-promoted CICR. Individual CICR events in pancreatic beta-cells were followed by [Ca(2+)](i) spikes in neighboring human erythroleukemia cells, used to report secretory events in the beta-cells. The results indicate that protein kinase A-mediated promotion of CICR via IP(3)Rs is part of the mechanism by which cAMP amplifies insulin release.

Increased glucose sensitivity of both triggering and amplifying pathways of insulin secretion in rat islets cultured for 1 wk in high glucose

Chronic hyperglycemia has been shown to induce either a lack of response or an increased sensitivity to glucose in pancreatic beta-cells. We reinvestigated this controversial issue in a single experimental model by culturing rat islets for 1 wk in 10 or 30 mmol/l glucose (G10, Controls; or G30, High-glucose islets) before testing the effect of stepwise glucose stimulation from G0.5 to G20 on key beta-cell stimulus-secretion coupling events. Compared with Controls, the glucose sensitivity of High-glucose islets was markedly increased, leading to maximal stimulation of oxidative metabolism and both triggering and amplifying pathways of insulin secretion in G6 rather than G20, hence to loss of glucose effect above G6. This enhanced glucose sensitivity occurred despite an approximately twofold increase in islet uncoupling protein 2 mRNA expression. Besides this increased glucose sensitivity, the maximal glucose stimulation of insulin secretion in High-glucose islets was reduced by approximately 50%, proportionally to the reduction of insulin content. In High-glucose islets, changes in (45)Ca(2+) influx induced by glucose and diazoxide were qualitatively similar but quantitatively smaller than in Control islets and, paradoxically, did not lead to detectable changes in the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration measured by microspectrofluorimetry (fura PE 3). In conclusion, after 1 wk of culture in G30, the loss of glucose stimulation of insulin secretion in the physiological range of glucose concentrations (G5-G10) results from the combination of an increased sensitivity to glucose of both triggering and amplifying pathways of insulin secretion and an approximately 50% reduction in the maximal glucose stimulation of insulin secretion.

Atypical Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release from a sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 3-dependent Ca2+ pool in mouse pancreatic beta-cells

The contribution of Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores to the rise in the free cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) triggered by Ca(2+) influx was investigated in mouse pancreatic beta-cells. Depolarization of beta-cells by 45 mm K(+) (in the presence of 15 mm glucose and 0.1 mm diazoxide) evoked two types of [Ca(2+)](c) responses: a monotonic and sustained elevation; or a sustained elevation superimposed by a transient [Ca(2+)](c) peak (TCP) (40-120 s after the onset of depolarization). Simultaneous measurements of [Ca(2+)](c) and voltage-dependent Ca(2+) current established that the TCP did not result from a larger Ca(2+) current. Abolition of the TCP by thapsigargin and its absence in sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase 3 (SERCA3) knockout mice show that it is caused by Ca(2+) mobilization from the endoplasmic reticulum. A TCP could not be evoked by the sole depolarization of beta-cells but required a rise in [Ca(2+)](c) pointing to a Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR). This CICR did not involve inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) receptors (IP(3)Rs) because it was resistant to heparin. Nor did it involve ryanodine receptors (RyRs) because it persisted after blockade of RyRs with ryanodine, and was not mimicked by caffeine, a RyR agonist. Moreover, RyR1 and RyR2 mRNA were not found and RyR3 mRNA was only slightly expressed in purified beta-cells. A CICR could also be detected in a limited number of cells in response to glucose. Our data demonstrate, for the first time in living cells, the existence of an atypical CICR that is independent from the IP(3)R and the RyR. This CICR is prominent in response to a supraphysiological stimulation with high K(+), but plays little role in response to glucose in non-obese mouse pancreatic beta-cells.

Islet secretory defect in insulin receptor substrate 1 null mice is linked with reduced calcium signaling and expression of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA)-2b and -3

Mice with deletion of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 (IRS-1 knockout [KO] mice) show mild insulin resistance and defective glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and reduced insulin synthesis. To further define the role of IRS-1 in islet function, we examined the insulin secretory defect in the knockouts using freshly isolated islets and primary beta-cells. IRS-1 KO beta-cells exhibited a significantly shorter increase in intracellular free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) than controls when briefly stimulated with glucose or glyceraldehyde and when l-arginine was used to potentiate the stimulatory effect of glucose. These changes were paralleled by a lower number of exocytotic events in the KO beta-cells in response to the same secretagogues, indicating reduced insulin secretion. Furthermore, the normal oscillations in intracellular Ca(2+) and O(2) consumption after glucose stimulation were dampened in freshly isolated KO islets. Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed a dramatically reduced islet expression of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA)-2b and -3 in the mutants. These data provide evidence that IRS-1 modulation of insulin secretion is associated with Ca(2+) signaling and expression of SERCA-2b and -3 genes in pancreatic islets and provides a direct link between insulin resistance and defective insulin secretion.

Cav1.3 Is Preferentially Coupled to Glucose-Induced [Ca2+]iOscillations in the Pancreatic β Cell Line INS-1

The link between Ca(2+) influx through the L-type calcium channels Ca(v)1.2 or Ca(v)1.3 and glucose- or KCl-induced [Ca(2+)](i) mobilization in INS-1 cells was assessed using the calcium indicator indo-1. Cells responded to 18 mM glucose or 50 mM KCl stimulation with different patterns in [Ca(2+)](i) increases, although both were inhibited by 10 microM nifedipine. Although KCl elicited a prolonged elevation in [Ca(2+)](i), glucose triggered oscillations in [Ca(2+)](i.) Ca(v)1.2/dihydropyridine-insensitive (DHPi) cells and Ca(v)1.3/DHPi cells, and stable INS-1 cell lines expressing either DHP-insensitive Ca(v)1.2 or Ca(v)1.3 channels showed normal responses to glucose. However, in 10 microM nifedipine, only Ca(v)1.3/DHPi cells maintained glucose-induced [Ca(2+)](i) oscillation. In contrast, both cell lines exhibited DHP-resistant [Ca(2+)](i) increases in response to KCl. The percentage of cells responding to glucose was not significantly decreased by nifedipine in Ca(v)1.3/DHPi cells but was greatly reduced in Ca(v)1.2/DHPi cells. In 10 microM nifedipine, KCl-elicited [Ca(2+)](i) elevation was retained in both Ca(v)1.2/DHPi and Ca(v)1.3/DHPi cells. In INS-1 cells expressing the intracellular II-III loop of Ca(v)1.3, glucose failed to elicit [Ca(2+)](i) changes, whereas INS-1 cells expressing the Ca(v)1.2 II-III loop responded to glucose with normal [Ca(2+)](i) oscillation. INS-1 cells expressing Ca(v)1.2/DHPi containing the II-III loop of Ca(v)1.3 demonstrated a nifedipine-resistant slow increase in [Ca(2+)](i) and nifedipine-resistant insulin secretion in response to glucose that was partially inhibited by diltiazem. Thus, whereas the II-III loop of Ca(v)1.3 may be involved in coupling Ca(2+) influx to insulin secretion, distinct structural domains are required to mediate the preferential coupling of Ca(v)1.3 to glucose-induced [Ca(2+)](i) oscillation.

A store-operated mechanism determines the activity of the electrically excitable glucagon-secreting pancreatic α-cell

The glucagon-releasing pancreatic alpha-cells are electrically excitable cells but the signal transduction leading to depolarization and secretion is not well understood. To clarify the mechanisms we studied [Ca(2+)](i) and membrane potential in individual mouse pancreatic alpha-cells using fluorescent indicators. The physiological secretagogue l-adrenaline increased [Ca(2+)](i) causing a peak, which was often followed by maintained oscillations or sustained elevation. The early effect was due to mobilization of Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the late one to activation of store-operated influx of the ion resulting in depolarization and Ca(2+) influx through voltage-dependent L-type channels. Consistent with such mechanisms, the effects of adrenaline on [Ca(2+)](i) and membrane potential were mimicked by inhibitors of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase. The alpha-cells express ATP-regulated K(+) (K(ATP)) channels, whose activation by diazoxide leads to hyperpolarization. The resulting inhibition of the voltage-dependent [Ca(2+)](i) response to adrenaline was reversed when the K(ATP) channels were inhibited by tolbutamide. However, tolbutamide alone rarely affected [Ca(2+)](i), indicating that the K(ATP) channels are normally closed in mouse alpha-cells. Glucose, which is the major physiological inhibitor of glucagon secretion, hyperpolarized the alpha-cells and inhibited the late [Ca(2+)](i) response to adrenaline. At concentrations as low as 3mM, glucose had a pronounced stimulatory effect on Ca(2+) sequestration in the ER amplifying the early [Ca(2+)](i) response to adrenaline. We propose that adrenaline stimulation and glucose inhibition of the alpha-cell involve modulation of a store-operated current, which controls a depolarizing cascade leading to opening of L-type Ca(2+) channels. Such a control mechanism may be unique among excitable cells.

Oscillations of phospholipase C activity triggered by depolarization and Ca2+ influx in insulin-secreting cells

Phospholipase C (PLC) is a ubiquitous enzyme involved in the regulation of a variety of cellular processes. Its dependence on Ca2+ is well recognized, but it is not known how PLC activity is affected by physiological variations of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)). Here, we applied evanescent wave microscopy to monitor PLC activity in parallel with [Ca2+](i) in individual insulin-secreting INS-1 cells using the phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate- and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-binding pleckstrin homology domain from PLCdelta(1) fused to green fluorescent protein (PH(PLCdelta1)-GFP) and the Ca2+ indicator fura red. In resting cells, PH(PLCdelta1)-GFP was located predominantly at the plasma membrane. Activation of PLC by muscarinic or purinergic receptor stimulation resulted in PH(PLCdelta1)-GFP translocation from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm, detected as a decrease in evanescent wave-excited PH(PLCdelta1)-GFP fluorescence. Using this translocation as a measure of PLC activity, we found that depolarization by raising extracellular [K+] triggered activation of the enzyme. This effect could be attributed both to a rise of [Ca2+](i) and to depolarization per se, because some translocation persisted during depolarization in a Ca2+-deficient medium containing the Ca2+ chelator EGTA. Moreover, oscillations of [Ca2+](i) resulting from depolarization with Ca2+ influx evoked concentration-dependent periodic activation of PLC. We conclude that PLC activity is under tight dynamic control of [Ca2+](i). In insulin-secreting beta-cells, this mechanism provides a link between Ca2+ influx and release from intracellular stores that may be important in the regulation of insulin secretion.

Role for plasma membrane-related Ca2+-ATPase-1 (ATP2C1) in pancreatic beta-cell Ca2+ homeostasis revealed by RNA silencing

Changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration play a key role in the regulation of insulin secretion by glucose and other secretagogues. Here, we explore the importance of the secretory pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase, plasma membrane-related Ca(2+)-ATPase-1 (PMR1; human orthologue ATP2C1) in intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis in pancreatic islet beta-cells. Endogenous PMR1 mRNA and protein were detected in both isolated rat islets and beta-cell-derived lines (MIN6 and INS1). Subcellular fractionation of the cell lines revealed PMR1 immunoreactivity in both microsomal and dense-core secretory vesicle-enriched fractions. Correspondingly, depletion of cellular PMR1 with small interfering RNAs inhibited Ca(2+) uptake into the endoplasmic reticulum and secretory vesicles by approximately 20%, as assessed using organelle-targeted aequorins in permeabilized INS1 cells. In intact cells, PMR1 depletion markedly enhanced flux though L-type Ca(2+) channels and augmented glucose-stimulated, but not basal, insulin secretion. Whereas average cytosolic [Ca(2+)] increases in response to 30.0 mmol/l glucose were unaffected by PMR1 depletion, [Ca(2+)] oscillation shape, duration, and decay rate in response to glucose plus tetraethylammonium were modified in PMR1-depleted single cells, imaged using fluo-3-acetoxymethylester. PMR1 thus plays an important role, which is at least partially nonoverlapping with that of sarco(endo-)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPases, in the control of beta-cell Ca(2+) homeostasis and insulin secretion.

Regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 by glucose and peptide hormones in pancreatic beta cells

We showed previously that ERK1/2 were activated by glucose and amino acids in pancreatic beta cells. Here we examine and compare signaling events that are necessary for ERK1/2 activation by glucose and other stimuli in beta cells. We find that agents that interrupt Ca2+ signaling by a variety of mechanisms interfere with glucose- and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1)-stimulated ERK1/2 activity. In particular, calmodulin antagonists, FK506, and cyclosporin, immunosuppressants that inhibit the calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin, suppress ERK1/2 activation by both glucose and GLP-1. Ca2+ signaling from intracellular stores is also essential for ERK1/2 activation, because thapsigargin blocks ERK1/2 activation by glucose or GLP-1. The glucose-sensitive mechanism is distinct from that used by phorbol ester or insulin to stimulate ERK1/2 but shares common features with that used by GLP-1.

Small-conductance calcium-activated K+ channels are expressed in pancreatic islets and regulate glucose responses

Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion is associated with transients of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration [Ca(2+)](i) in the pancreatic beta-cell. We identified the expression and function of specific small-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (SK) channel genes in insulin-secreting cells. The presence of mRNA for SK1, -2, -3, and -4 (intermediate-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) 1 [IK1]) channels was demonstrated by RT-PCR in rodent islets and insulinoma cells. SK2 and -3 proteins in mouse islets were detected by immunoblot and immunocytochemistry. In the tTA-SK3 tet-off mouse, a normal amount of SK3 protein was present in islets, but it became undetectable after exposure to doxycycline (DOX), which inhibits the transcription of the tTA-SK3 gene. The SK/IK channel-blockers apamin, dequalinium, and charybdotoxin caused increases in average [Ca(2+)](i) levels and in frequency of [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations in wild-type mouse islets. In SK3-tTA tet-off mice, the addition of apamin with glucose and tetraethylammonium (TEA) caused a similar elevation in [Ca(2+)](i), which was greatly diminished after DOX suppression of SK3 expression. We conclude that SK1, -2, -3, and IK1 (SK4) are expressed in islet cells and insulin-secreting cells and are able to influence glucose-induced calcium responses, thereby regulating insulin secretion.

Insulin constitutively secreted by beta-cells is necessary for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion

Four hypotheses have been posited on the role of insulin in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion; available evidence has supported insulin as being 1) essential, 2) a positive modulator, 3) a negative modulator, or 4) not necessary. Because circulating insulin levels in mice, before or after intraperitoneal glucose injection, are sufficient to elicit insulin responses in insulin-sensitive tissues, it is likely that beta-cell insulin receptors are continuously exposed to stimulating concentrations of insulin. To determine whether constitutively secreted insulin is necessary for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, CD1 male mouse islets were incubated for 30 min at 4 degrees C in the absence (control) or presence of anti-insulin (1 micro g/ml) or anti-IgG (1 micro g/ml). Then islets were exposed to 3, 11, or 25 mmol/l glucose or to 20 mmol/l arginine. Nontreated islets exhibited first- and second-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Control and anti-IgG-treated islets, after a 5-min lag phase, increased their insulin secretion in 25 mmol/l glucose. Anti-insulin-treated islets secreted insulin at a basal rate in 3 or 25 mmol/l glucose buffers. Insulin secretion stimulated by 20 mmol/l arginine was the same in islets pretreated with either antibody and showed no lag phase. Taken together, these data suggest that constitutively secreted insulin is required and sufficient for beta-cells to maintain sensitivity to glucose.

Dynamics of calcium clearance in mouse pancreatic beta-cells

Pancreatic beta-cells maintain glucose homeostasis by their regulated Ca(2+)-dependent secretion of insulin. Several cellular mechanisms control intracellular Ca(2+) levels, but their relative significance in mouse beta-cells is not fully known. We used photometry to measure the dynamics of cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) clearance after brief, depolarization-induced Ca(2+) entry. Treatment with thapsigargin or cyclopiazonic acid, inhibitors of the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) pumps, nearly doubled the peak and slowed the decay of the depolarization-induced Ca(2+) transients. The remaining thapsigargin-insensitive decay was slowed further by inhibition of the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase (PMCA) and plasma membrane Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) via alkalization of the bath solution, by adding lanthanum, or by substitution of Na(+) with Li(+). Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake contributed little to clearance in thapsigargin-pretreated cells. Together, the SERCA, PMCA, and NCX transport mechanisms accounted for 89 to 97% of clearance in normal solutions. We developed a quantitative model for the dynamic role of removal mechanisms over a wide range of [Ca(2+)](i). According to our model, 50 to 64% of initial Ca(2+) removal is via the SERCA pump, whereas the NCX contributes 21-30% of the extrusion at high [Ca(2+)](i), and the PMCA contributes 21-27% at low [Ca(2+)](i).

Modeling of Ca2+ flux in pancreatic beta-cells: role of the plasma membrane and intracellular stores

We have developed a detailed mathematical model of ionic flux in beta-cells that includes the most essential channels and pumps in the plasma membrane. This model is coupled to equations describing Ca2+, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), ATP, and Na+ homeostasis, including the uptake and release of Ca2+ by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In our model, metabolically derived ATP activates inward Ca2+ flux by regulation of ATP-sensitive K+ channels and depolarization of the plasma membrane. Results from the simulations support the hypothesis that intracellular Na+ and Ca2+ in the ER can be the main variables driving both fast (2-7 osc/min) and slow intracellular Ca2+ concentration oscillations (0.3-0.9 osc/min) and that the effect of IP3 on Ca2+ leak from the ER contributes to the pattern of slow calcium oscillations. Simulations also show that filling the ER Ca2+ stores leads to faster electrical bursting and Ca2+ oscillations. Specific Ca2+ oscillations in isolated beta-cell lines can also be simulated.