Calcium-independent potentiation of insulin release by cyclic AMP in single beta-cells

Exendin-(9-39) corrects fasting hypoglycemia in SUR-1-/- mice by lowering cAMP in pancreatic beta-cells and inhibiting insulin secretion

Congenital hyperinsulinism is a disorder of pancreatic beta-cell function characterized by failure to suppress insulin secretion in the setting of hypoglycemia, resulting in brain damage or death if untreated. Loss-of-function mutations in the K(ATP) channel (composed of two subunits: Kir6.2 and SUR-1) are responsible for the most common and severe form of congenital hyperinsulinism. Most patients are unresponsive to available medical therapy and require palliative pancreatectomy. Similar to the human condition, the SUR-1(-/-) mouse is hypoglycemic when fasted and hyperglycemic when glucose-loaded. We have previously reported that the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonist exendin-(9-39) raises fasting blood glucose in normal mice. Here we examine the effect of exendin-(9-39) on fasting blood glucose in SUR-1(-/-) mice. Mice were randomized to receive exendin-(9-39) or vehicle. Fasting blood glucose levels in SUR-1(-/-) mice treated with exendin-(9-39) were significantly higher than in vehicle-treated mice and not different from wild-type littermates. Exendin-(9-39) did not further worsen glucose tolerance and had no effect on body weight and insulin sensitivity. Isolated islet perifusion studies demonstrated that exendin-(9-39) blocked amino acid-stimulated insulin secretion, which is abnormally increased in SUR-1(-/-) islets. Furthermore, cAMP content in SUR-1(-/-) islets was reduced by exendin-(9-39) both basally and when stimulated by amino acids, whereas cytosolic calcium levels were not affected. These findings suggest that cAMP plays a key role in K(ATP)-independent insulin secretion and that the GLP-1 receptor is constitutively active in SUR-1(-/-) beta-cells. Our findings indicate that exendin-(9-39) normalizes fasting hypoglycemia in SUR-1(-/-) mice via a direct effect on insulin secretion, thereby raising exendin-(9-39) as a potential therapeutic agent for K(ATP) hyperinsulinism.

Glucose-induced cyclic AMP oscillations regulate pulsatile insulin secretion

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) and Ca(2+) are key regulators of exocytosis in many cells, including insulin-secreting beta cells. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from beta cells is pulsatile and involves oscillations of the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), but little is known about the detailed kinetics of cAMP signaling. Using evanescent-wave fluorescence imaging we found that glucose induces pronounced oscillations of cAMP in the submembrane space of single MIN6 cells and primary mouse beta cells. These oscillations were preceded and enhanced by elevations of [Ca(2+)](i). However, conditions raising cytoplasmic ATP could trigger cAMP elevations without accompanying [Ca(2+)](i) rise, indicating that adenylyl cyclase activity may be controlled also by the substrate concentration. The cAMP oscillations correlated with pulsatile insulin release. Whereas elevation of cAMP enhanced secretion, inhibition of adenylyl cyclases suppressed both cAMP oscillations and pulsatile insulin release. We conclude that cell metabolism directly controls cAMP and that glucose-induced cAMP oscillations regulate the magnitude and kinetics of insulin exocytosis.

Essential role of Epac2/Rap1 signaling in regulation of insulin granule dynamics by cAMP

cAMP is well known to regulate exocytosis in various secretory cells, but the precise mechanism of its action remains unknown. Here, we examine the role of cAMP signaling in the exocytotic process of insulin granules in pancreatic beta cells. Although activation of cAMP signaling alone does not cause fusion of the granules to the plasma membrane, it clearly potentiates both the first phase (a prompt, marked, and transient increase) and the second phase (a moderate and sustained increase) of glucose-induced fusion events. Interestingly, all granules responsible for this potentiation are newly recruited and immediately fused to the plasma membrane without docking (restless newcomer). Importantly, cAMP-potentiated fusion events in the first phase of glucose-induced exocytosis are markedly reduced in mice lacking the cAMP-binding protein Epac2 (Epac2(ko/ko)). In addition, the small GTPase Rap1, which is activated by cAMP specifically through Epac2 in pancreatic beta cells, mediates cAMP-induced insulin secretion in a protein kinase A-independent manner. We also have developed a simulation model of insulin granule movement in which potentiation of the first phase is associated with an increase in the insulin granule density near the plasma membrane. Taken together, these data indicate that Epac2/Rap1 signaling is essential in regulation of insulin granule dynamics by cAMP, most likely by controlling granule density near the plasma membrane.

Activation of exchange protein directly activated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate and protein kinase A regulate common and distinct steps in promoting plasma membrane exocytic and granule-to-granule fusions in rat islet beta cells

OBJECTIVES

Using FM1-43 epifluorescence imaging and electron microscopy, we recently reported that glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1)-mediated cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) potentiation of insulin secretion markedly promotes the number of plasma membrane (PM) exocytic sites and insulin secretory granule (SG)-to-granule fusions underlying compound and sequential exocytosis.

METHODS

Here, we used FM1-43 imaging to dissect the distinct contributions of putative GLP-1/cAMP activated substrates--exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC) and protein kinase A (PKA)--in mediating these exocytic events.

RESULTS

Like GLP-1, cAMP activation by forskolin increased the number of PM exocytic sites (2.3-fold), which were mainly of the robust-sustained (55.8%) and stepwise-multiphasic (37.7%) patterns corresponding to compound and sequential SG-SG exocytosis, respectively, with few monophasic hotspots (6.5%) corresponding to single-granule exocytosis. Direct activation of EPAC by 8-(4-chloro-phenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3',5'-cAMP also increased the number of exocytic sites, but which were mainly multiphasic (60%) and monophasic (40%) hotspots. Protein kinase A inhibition by H89 blocked forskolin-evoked robust-sustained hotspots, while retaining multiphasic (47%) and monophasic (53%) hotspots. Consistently, PKA activation (N6-benzoyladenosine-3',5'-cAMP) evoked only multiphasic (60%) and monophasic (40%) hotspots. These results suggested that PKA activation is required but alone is insufficient to promote compound SG-SG fusions. 8-(4-Chloro-phenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3',5'-cAMP plus N6-benzoyladenosine-3',5'-cAMP stimulation completely reconstituted the effects of forskolin, including increasing the number of exocytic sites, with a similar pattern of robust-sustained (42.6%) and stepwise (39.6%) hotspots and few monophasic (17.8%) hotspots.

CONCLUSIONS

The EPAC and PKA modulate both distinct and common exocytic steps to potentiate insulin exocytosis where (a) EPAC activation mobilizes SGs to fuse at the PM, thereby increasing number of PM exocytic sites; and (b) PKA and EPAC activation synergistically modulate SG-SG fusions underlying compound and sequential exocytoses.

SNAREing voltage-gated K+ and ATP-sensitive K+ channels: tuning beta-cell excitability with syntaxin-1A and other exocytotic proteins

The three SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins, syntaxin, SNAP25 (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa), and synaptobrevin, constitute the minimal machinery for exocytosis in secretory cells such as neurons and neuroendocrine cells by forming a series of complexes prior to and during vesicle fusion. It was subsequently found that these SNARE proteins not only participate in vesicle fusion, but also tether with voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels to form an excitosome that precisely regulates calcium entry at the site of exocytosis. In pancreatic islet beta-cells, ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channel closure by high ATP concentration leads to membrane depolarization, voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel opening, and insulin secretion, whereas subsequent opening of voltage-gated K(+) (Kv) channels repolarizes the cell to terminate exocytosis. We have obtained evidence that syntaxin-1A physically interacts with Kv2.1 (the predominant Kv in beta-cells) and the sulfonylurea receptor subunit of beta-cell K(ATP) channel to modify their gating behaviors. A model has proposed that the conformational changes of syntaxin-1A during exocytosis induce distinct functional modulations of K(ATP) and Kv2.1 channels in a manner that optimally regulates cell excitability and insulin secretion. Other proteins involved in exocytosis, such as Munc-13, tomosyn, rab3a-interacting molecule, and guanyl nucleotide exchange factor II, have also been implicated in direct or indirect regulation of beta-cell ion channel activities and excitability. This review discusses this interesting aspect that exocytotic proteins not only promote secretion per se, but also fine-tune beta-cell excitability via modulation of ion channel gating.

Role of VIP and PACAP in islet function

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) are two closely related neuropeptides that are expressed in islets and in islet parasympathetic nerves. Both peptides bind to their common G-protein-coupled receptors, VPAC1 and VPAC2, and PACAP, in addition to the specific receptor PAC1, all three of which are expressed in islets. VIP and PACAP stimulate insulin secretion in a glucose-dependent manner and they both also stimulate glucagon secretion. This action is achieved through increased formation of cAMP after activation of adenylate cyclase and stimulation of extracellular calcium uptake. Deletion of PAC1 receptors or VPAC2 receptors results in glucose intolerance. These peptides may be of importance in mediating prandial insulin secretion and the glucagon response to hypoglycemia. Animal studies have also suggested that activation of the receptors, in particular VPAC2 receptors, may be used as a therapeutic approach for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the potential role of VIP and PACAP in islet function.

Role of calcium messenger systems in ACTH-induced cortisol production in bovine adrenal fasciculo-reticularis cells

We investigated the regulation of each intracellular signal transduction system including cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent and calcium (Ca2+) messenger systems in bovine adrenal fasciculo-reticularis cells to clarify the exact mode of action of ACTH. Pretreatment with primaquine and quinacrine, which are phospholipase A2 inhibitors, significantly inhibited cortisol production activated by both low and high concentrations of ACTH. Therefore, it seems that metabolites induced by phospholipase A2 are quite essential for cortisol synthesis induced by ACTH, either at low or high concentrations. At low concentrations of ACTH (10(-13)-10(-12) M), significant increases of cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]i), but not of cAMP, were observed. Calphostin C, a specific protein kinase C inhibitor, apparently suppressed cortisol production activated by low concentrations of ACTH, while H-89, a specific inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, did not. These findings suggest that, at physiologically low concentrations, ACTH activates [Ca2+]i and phospholipase A2 without affecting cAMP formation, resulting in an increased biosynthesis of cortisol, partly via protein kinase C-dependent processes. At high concentrations, ACTH (10(-9)-10(-7) M) induced an increase of cAMP and [Ca2+]i. The cortisol production induced by high concentrations of ACTH was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with calphostin C, H-89 and H-7, suggesting the participation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C systems in the regulation of cortisol production in the presence of high concentrations of ACTH. In conclusion, cytosolic calcium is biphasically enhanced by ACTH, although cAMP accumulation is increased only by high concentrations of ACTH. A phospholipase A2-dependent process may partly play a crucial role in the regulation of cortisol biosynthesis, when stimulated by low and high concentrations of ACTH.

Two cAMP-dependent pathways differentially regulate exocytosis of large dense-core and small vesicles in mouse beta-cells

It has been reported that cAMP regulates Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis via protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (Epac) in neurons and secretory cells. It has, however, never been clarified how regulation of Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis by cAMP differs depending on the involvement of PKA and Epac, and depending on two types of secretory vesicles, large dense-core vesicles (LVs) and small vesicles (SVs). In this study, we have directly visualized Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis of both LVs and SVs with two-photon imaging in mouse pancreatic beta-cells. We found that marked exocytosis of SVs occurred with a time constant of 0.3 s, more than three times as fast as LV exocytosis, on stimulation by photolysis of a caged-Ca(2+) compound. The diameter of SVs was identified as approximately 80 nm with two-photon imaging, which was confirmed by electron-microscopic investigation with photoconversion of diaminobenzidine. Calcium-dependent exocytosis of SVs was potentiated by the cAMP-elevating agent forskolin, and the potentiating effect was unaffected by antagonists of PKA and was mimicked by the Epac-selective agonist 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyl cAMP, unlike that on LVs. Moreover, high-glucose stimulation induced massive exocytosis of SVs in addition to LVs, and photolysis of caged cAMP during glucose stimulation caused potentiation of exocytosis with little delay for SVs but with a latency of 5 s for LVs. Thus, Epac and PKA selectively regulate exocytosis of SVs and LVs, respectively, in beta-cells, and Epac can regulate exocytosis more rapidly than PKA.

Corelease and differential exit via the fusion pore of GABA, serotonin, and ATP from LDCV in rat pancreatic beta cells

The release of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ATP from rat β cells was monitored using an electrophysiological assay based on overexpression GABA_A or P₂X₂ receptor ion channels. Exocytosis of LDCVs, detected by carbon fiber amperometry of serotonin, correlated strongly (∼80%) with ATP release. The increase in membrane capacitance per ATP release event was 3.4 fF, close to the expected capacitance of an individual LDCV with a diameter of 0.3 μm. ATP and GABA were coreleased with serotonin with the same probability. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed that ∼15% of the LDCVs contain GABA. Prespike “pedestals,” reflecting exit of granule constituents via the fusion pore, were less frequently observed for ATP than for serotonin or GABA and the relative amplitude (amplitude of foot compared to spike) was smaller: in some cases the ATP-dependent pedestal was missing entirely. An inward tonic current, not dependent on glucose and inhibited by the GABA_A receptor antagonist SR95531, was observed in β cells in clusters of islet cells. Noise analysis indicated that it was due to the activity of individual channels with a conductance of 30 pS, the same as expected for individual GABA_A Cl⁻ channels with the ionic gradients used. We conclude that (a) LDCVs accumulate ATP and serotonin; (b) regulated release of GABA can be accounted for by exocytosis of a subset of insulin-containing LDCVs; (c) the fusion pore of LDCVs exhibits selectivity and compounds are differentially released depending on their chemical properties (including size); and (d) a glucose-independent nonvesicular form of GABA release exists in β cells.

Beta-cell PDE3B regulates Ca2+-stimulated exocytosis of insulin

cAMP signaling is important for the regulation of insulin secretion in pancreatic beta-cells. The level of intracellular cAMP is controlled through its production by adenylyl cyclases and its breakdown by cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs). We have previously shown that PDE3B is involved in the regulation of nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion. Here, aiming at getting deeper functional insights, we have examined the role of PDE3B in the two phases of insulin secretion as well as its localization in the beta-cell. Depolarization-induced insulin secretion was assessed and in models where PDE3B was overexpressed [islets from transgenic RIP-PDE3B/7 mice and adenovirally (AdPDE3B) infected INS-1 (832/13) cells], the first phase of insulin secretion, occurring in response to stimulation with high K(+) for 5 min, was significantly reduced ( approximately 25% compared to controls). In contrast, in islets from PDE3B(-/-) mice the response to high K(+) was increased. Further, stimulation of isolated beta-cells from RIP-PDE3B/7 islets, using successive trains of voltage-clamped depolarizations, resulted in reduced Ca(2+)-triggered first phase exocytotic response as well as reduced granule mobilization-dependent second phase, compared to wild-type beta-cells. Using sub-cellular fractionation, confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy of isolated mouse islets and INS-1 (832/13) cells, we show that endogenous and overexpressed PDE3B is localized to insulin granules and plasma membrane. We conclude that PDE3B, through hydrolysis of cAMP in pools regulated by Ca(2+), plays a regulatory role in depolarization-induced insulin secretion and that the enzyme is associated with the exocytotic machinery in beta-cells.

Secretory and electrophysiological characteristics of insulin cells from gastrectomized mice: evidence for the existence of insulinotropic agents in the stomach

Mice were subjected to gastrectomy (GX) or sham operation (controls). Four to six weeks later the pancreatic islets were isolated and analysed for cAMP or alternatively incubated in a Krebs-Ringer based medium in an effort to study insulin secretion and cAMP accumulation in response to glucose or the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin. Freshly isolated islets from GX mice had higher cAMP content than islets from control mice, a difference that persisted after incubation for 1 h at a glucose concentration of 4 mmol/l. Addition of forskolin to this medium induced much greater cAMP and insulin responses in islets from GX mice than in islets from control mice. In contrast, the insulin response to high glucose (16.7 mmol/l) was much weaker in GX islets than in control islets. Glucose-induced insulin release was associated with a 2-fold rise in the cAMP content in control islets. Surprisingly no rise in cAMP was noted in GX islets incubated at high glucose. Capacitance measurements conducted on isolated insulin cells from GX mice revealed a much lower exocytotic response to a single 500 ms depolarisation (from -70 mV to zero) than in control insulin cells. Addition of cAMP to the cytosol enhanced the exocytotic response in insulin cells from control mice but not from GX mice. The depolarisation-triggered inward Ca(2+) current in insulin cells from GX mice did not differ from that in control mice, and hence the reduced exocytotic response following GX cannot be ascribed to a decreased Ca(2+) influx. Experiments involving a train of ten 500 ms depolarisations revealed that the exocytotic response was prominent in control insulin cells but modest in GX insulin cells. It seems that cAMP is capable of eliciting insulin release from insulin cells of GX mice only when cAMP is generated in a specific microdomain conceivably through the intervention of membrane-associated adenylate cyclases that can be activated by forskolin. The GX-evoked impairment of depolarisation-induced exocytosis and glucose-stimulated insulin release may reflect the lack of a gastric agent that serves to maintain an appropriate insulin response to glucose and an appropriate exocytotic response to depolarisation by raising cAMP in a special glucose-sensitive compartment possibly regulated by a soluble adenylate cyclase.

The role of voltage-gated calcium channels in pancreatic beta-cell physiology and pathophysiology

Voltage-gated calcium (CaV) channels are ubiquitously expressed in various cell types throughout the body. In principle, the molecular identity, biophysical profile, and pharmacological property of CaV channels are independent of the cell type where they reside, whereas these channels execute unique functions in different cell types, such as muscle contraction, neurotransmitter release, and hormone secretion. At least six CaValpha1 subunits, including CaV1.2, CaV1.3, CaV2.1, CaV2.2, CaV2.3, and CaV3.1, have been identified in pancreatic beta-cells. These pore-forming subunits complex with certain auxiliary subunits to conduct L-, P/Q-, N-, R-, and T-type CaV currents, respectively. beta-Cell CaV channels take center stage in insulin secretion and play an important role in beta-cell physiology and pathophysiology. CaV3 channels become expressed in diabetes-prone mouse beta-cells. Point mutation in the human CaV1.2 gene results in excessive insulin secretion. Trinucleotide expansion in the human CaV1.3 and CaV2.1 gene is revealed in a subgroup of patients with type 2 diabetes. beta-Cell CaV channels are regulated by a wide range of mechanisms, either shared by other cell types or specific to beta-cells, to always guarantee a satisfactory concentration of Ca2+. Inappropriate regulation of beta-cell CaV channels causes beta-cell dysfunction and even death manifested in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This review summarizes current knowledge of CaV channels in beta-cell physiology and pathophysiology.

Water channels and zymogen granules in salivary glands

Salivary secretion occurs in response to stimulation by neurotransmitters released from autonomic nerve endings. The molecular mechanisms underlying the secretion of water, a main component of saliva, from salivary glands are not known; the plasma membrane is a major barrier to water transport. A 28-kDa integral membrane protein, distributed in highly water-permeable tissues, was identified as a water channel protein, aquaporin (AQP). Thirteen AQPs (AQP0 - AQP12) have been identified in mammals. AQP5 is localized in lipid rafts under unstimulated conditions and translocates to the apical plasma membrane in rat parotid glands upon stimulation by muscarinic agonists. The importance of increases in intracellular calcium concentration [Ca(2+)](i) and the nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase G signaling pathway in the translocation of AQP5 is reviewed in section I. Signals generated by the activation of Ca(2+) mobilizing receptors simultaneously trigger and regulate exocytosis. Zymogen granule exocytosis occurs under the control of essential process, stimulus-secretion coupling, in salivary glands. Ca(2+) signaling is a principal signal in both protein and water secretion from salivary glands induced by cholinergic stimulation. On the other hand, the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/cAMP-dependent protein kinase system has a major role in zymogen granule exocytosis without significant increases in [Ca(2+)](i). In section II, the mechanisms underlying the control of salivary protein secretion and its dysfunction are reviewed.

The neuronal Ca2+ sensor protein visinin-like protein-1 is expressed in pancreatic islets and regulates insulin secretion

Visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) is a member of the neuronal Ca2+ sensor protein family that modulates Ca2+-dependent cell signaling events. VILIP-1, which is expressed primarily in the brain, increases cAMP formation in neural cells by modulating adenylyl cyclase, but its functional role in other tissues remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that VILIP-1 is expressed in murine pancreatic islets and beta-cells. To gain insight into the functions of VILIP-1 in beta-cells, we used both overexpression and small interfering RNA knockdown strategies. Overexpression of VILIP-1 in the MIN6 beta-cell line or isolated mouse islets had no effect on basal insulin secretion but significantly increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. cAMP accumulation was elevated in VILIP-1-overexpressing cells, and the protein kinase A inhibitor H-89 attenuated increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Overexpression of VILIP-1 in isolated mouse beta-cells increased cAMP content accompanied by increased cAMP-responsive element-binding protein gene expression and enhanced exocytosis as detected by cell capacitance measurements. Conversely, VILIP-1 knockdown by small interfering RNA caused a reduction in cAMP accumulation and produced a dramatic increase in preproinsulin mRNA, basal insulin secretion, and total cellular insulin content. The increase in preproinsulin mRNA in these cells was attributed to enhanced insulin gene transcription. Taken together, we have shown that VILIP-1 is expressed in pancreatic beta-cells and modulates insulin secretion. Increased VILIP-1 enhanced insulin secretion in a cAMP-associated manner. Down-regulation of VILIP-1 was accompanied by decreased cAMP accumulation but increased insulin gene transcription.

Cyclic AMP/cAMP-GEF pathway amplifies insulin exocytosis induced by Ca2+ and ATP in rat islet beta-cells

BACKGROUND

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) plays a pivotal role in insulin secretion induced by incretins. The effects of the second messenger extend to many sites and there has been much controversy on the mechanisms. The aim of this study was to examine how cAMP amplified insulin exocytosis.

METHODS

Rat islets were permeabilized with alpha-toxin to measure insulin exocytosis in the fixed conditions of Ca(2+) and ATP. The effects of several agents on insulin exocytosis were observed in perifusion experiments.

RESULTS

Cyclic AMP enhanced the Ca(2+)-induced insulin release by around 30%, independent of Ca(2+) concentrations between 10 and 3000 nmol/L. A cAMP-GEF selective cAMP analogue, 8-(4-chloro-phenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, also amplified insulin release. The effect disappeared in the absence of ATP. Conversely, cAMP-independent gradual increase in insulin release was observed with ATP. These results suggested that the site of action of cAMP-GEF existed proximal to that of ATP. An analogue selective to PKA, N(6)-Benzoyladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, had little effect. Also, a PKA-selective inhibitor, N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide, reduced insulin releases induced by 1000 nmol/L Ca(2+), but did not influence the relative increase produced by Ca(2+) and cAMP.

CONCLUSION

Cyclic AMP potentiated Ca(2+) and ATP-induced exocytosis to a similar relative extent independent of Ca(2+) concentrations. The process appeared to be mainly mediated by cAMP-GEF. In addition, the cAMP/cAMP-GEF pathway may enhance insulin release by replenishing the readily releasable pool.

PKA-dependent and PKA-independent pathways for cAMP-regulated exocytosis

Stimulus-secretion coupling is an essential process in secretory cells in which regulated exocytosis occurs, including neuronal, neuroendocrine, endocrine, and exocrine cells. While an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) is the principal signal, other intracellular signals also are important in regulated exocytosis. In particular, the cAMP signaling system is well known to regulate and modulate exocytosis in a variety of secretory cells. Until recently, it was generally thought that the effects of cAMP in regulated exocytosis are mediated by activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), a major cAMP target, followed by phosphorylation of the relevant proteins. Although the involvement of PKA-independent mechanisms has been suggested in cAMP-regulated exocytosis by pharmacological approaches, the molecular mechanisms are unknown. Newly discovered cAMP-GEF/Epac, which belongs to the cAMP-binding protein family, exhibits guanine nucleotide exchange factor activities and exerts diverse effects on cellular functions including hormone/transmitter secretion, cell adhesion, and intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization. cAMP-GEF/Epac mediates the PKA-independent effects on cAMP-regulated exocytosis. Thus cAMP regulates and modulates exocytosis by coordinating both PKA-dependent and PKA-independent mechanisms. Localization of cAMP within intracellular compartments (cAMP compartmentation or compartmentalization) may be a key mechanism underlying the distinct effects of cAMP in different domains of the cell.

Characterization of a Novel Chemokine-Containing Storage Granule in Endothelial Cells: Evidence for Preferential Exocytosis Mediated by Protein Kinase A and Diacylglycerol

We have recently shown that several proinflammatory chemokines can be stored in secretory granules of endothelial cells (ECs). Subsequent regulated exocytosis of such chemokines may then enable rapid recruitment of leukocytes to inflammatory sites. Although IL-8/CXCL8 and eotaxin-3/CCL26 are sorted to the rod-shaped Weibel-Palade body (WPB), we found that GROalpha/CXCL1 and MCP-1/CCL2 reside in small granules that, similarly to the WPB, respond to secretagogue stimuli. In the present study, we report that GROalpha and MCP-1 colocalized in 50- to 100-nm granules, which occur throughout the cytoplasm and at the cell cortex. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy revealed no colocalization with multimerin or tissue plasminogen activator, i.e., proteins that are released from small granules of ECs by regulated exocytosis. Moreover, the GROalpha/MCP-1-containing granules were Rab27-negative, contrasting the Rab27-positive, WPB. The secretagogues PMA, histamine, and forskolin triggered distinct dose and time-dependent responses of GROalpha release. Furthermore, GROalpha release was more sensitive than IL-8 release to inhibitors and activators of PKA and PKC but not to an activator of Epac, a cAMP-regulated GTPase exchange factor, indicating that GROalpha release is regulated by molecular adaptors different from those regulating exocytosis of the WPB. On the basis of these findings, we designated the GROalpha/MCP-1-containing compartment the type 2 granule of regulated secretion in ECs, considering the WPB the type 1 compartment. In conclusion, we propose that the GROalpha/MCP-1-containing type 2 granule shows preferential responsiveness to important mediators of EC activation, pointing to the existence of selective agonists that would allow differential release of selected chemokines.

The mechanisms of cell membrane resealing in rabbit corneal epithelial cells

PURPOSE

To examine membrane repair mechanisms in rabbit corneal epithelial (RCE) cells.

METHODS

Microneedle puncture and fluorescent dye loss were used to wound membranes and assay resealing, respectively. Different repair mechanisms were detected pharmacologically and with antisense oligonucleotides.

RESULTS

The RCE cells rapidly reseal plasma membranes by calcium-dependent exocytotic mechanisms that exhibit both facilitated and potentiated responses to multiple wounding. The facilitated response was inhibited by specific inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) and brefeldin A, and the potentiated response was blocked by inhibitors of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Reduction of myosin IIA inhibited the facilitated response, and reduction of IIB inhibited the initial resealing.

CONCLUSIONS

RCE cells rapidly repair plasma membrane disruptions. At a second wound at the same site, PKC stimulated vesicle formation from the Golgi apparatus, resulting in more rapid membrane resealing for a facilitated response. The RCE cell also contains a PKA-dependent global potentiation of membrane resealing.

Acute effects of insulin on beta-cells from transplantable human islets

The functional role of autocrine insulin signaling remains unclear despite considerable investigation. In the present study, we tested the effects of high and low doses of exogenous insulin on Ca2+ signaling, insulin synthesis and insulin secretion in dispersed human islet cells using a combination of imaging, radioimmunoassay and patch-clamp electrophysiology. Although 200 nM insulin stimulated Ca2+ signals with larger amplitudes, the percentage of responding cells was lower when compared with 0.2 nM insulin. However, both 0.2 nM insulin and 200 nM insulin led to a transient increase in accessible cellular insulin content under conditions that glucose did not. This pool of insulin likely reflected de novo synthesis as it could be blocked by cyclohexamide or actinomycin D. Blocking endogenous autocrine insulin signaling in quiescent beta-cells with the insulin receptor inhibitor HMNPA led to a reduction in insulin synthesis, suggesting some degree of basal activity of this positive feed-forward loop. Unlike exposure to high glucose, acute treatment with insulin did not stimulate robust insulin exocytosis, as estimated by C-peptide release and capacitance measurements from single beta-cells. Together these data provide further evidence that autocrine insulin signaling can regulate the function of human pancreatic beta-cells. Our findings suggest autocrine insulin signaling directly controls insulin protein levels, but not exocytosis, in beta-cells and demonstrate the functional specificity of insulin signaling and glucose signaling in human islet cells.

Severe hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia in a baby born to a mother taking oral ritodrine therapy for preterm labour

Hyperinsulinism of infancy is a major cause of persistent hypoglycaemia in the newborn period. Transient mild self-limiting hyperinsulinaemia and hypoglycaemia have been described in neonates born to mothers taking ritodrine therapy for premature labour. Ritodrine crosses the placental barrier and enters the fetal circulation readily but the mechanism of how it causes hyperinsulinaemia and hypoglycaemia is unclear. We report the case of severe prolonged hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycamia in a neonate born to a mother taking ritodrine therapy from 16 weeks' gestation for preterm labour. The hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia was managed with oral nifedipine as diazoxide was contraindicated due to fluid overload. Possible mechanisms of ritodrine-induced hypoglycaemia and insulin secretion are discussed.

Low-protein diets reduce PKAalpha expression in islets from pregnant rats

We investigated the effect of protein restriction on insulin secretion and the expression of protein kinase (PK)Aalpha and PKCalpha in islets from control and pregnant rats. Adult control nonpregnant (CN) and control pregnant (CP) rats were fed a normal-protein diet (17%), whereas low-protein nonpregnant (LPN) and low-protein pregnant (LPP) rats were fed a low-protein diet (6%) for 15 d. In the presence of 2.8 and 8.3 mmol glucose/L, insulin secretion by islets of CP rats was higher than that by islets of CN rats. Compared with the CN groups, insulin secretion by islets of LPN rats was lower with 8.3 but not with 2.8 mmol glucose/L. The insulin secretion by islets of LPP rats was higher than by LPN rats at both glucose concentrations. IBMX (1 mmol/L), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, increased insulin secretion by islets from pregnant rats, and this effect was greater in islets of CP rats than in LPP rats. Forskolin (0.01-100 micromol/L), a stimulator of adenylyl cyclase, increased insulin secretion only in islets of CN and CP rats, with a higher 50% effective concentration in islets of CP rats compared with CN rats. The insulin secretion induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (a stimulator of PKC) was higher in islets of LPN and LPP rats than in the respective controls, especially at 8.3 mmol glucose/L. PKAalpha, but not PKCalpha, expression was lower in islets of rats fed low protein than in the controls, regardless of the physiological status of the rats. All endocrine cells of the islets, including beta-cells, expressed the PKAalpha isoform. The cytoplasmic distribution of this enzyme in beta-cells was not modified by pregnancy and/or protein restriction. In conclusion, our results indicate that the response of islets from rats fed low protein during pregnancy is similar to that of control rats, at least for physiologic glucose concentration. However, the decreased response to IBMX and forskolin indicates decreased production and/or sensitivity to cAMP; this was associated with a decrease in PKA expression, which may result in lower PKA activity.

cAMP increases Ca2+-dependent exocytosis through both PKA and Epac2 in mouse melanotrophs from pituitary tissue slices

Cyclic AMP regulates Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis through a classical protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent and an alternative cAMP-guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)/Epac-dependent pathway in many secretory cells. Although increased cAMP is believed to double secretory output in isolated pituitary cells, the direct target(s) for cAMP action and a detailed and high-time resolved analysis of the effect of intracellular cAMP levels on the secretory activity in melanotrophs are still lacking. We investigated the effect of 200 microM cAMP on the kinetics of secretory vesicle depletion in mouse melanotrophs from fresh pituitary tissue slices. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to depolarize melanotrophs and increase the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). Exogenous cAMP elicited an about twofold increase in cumulative membrane capacitance change and approximately 34% increase of high-voltage activated Ca(2+) channel amplitude. cAMP-dependent mechanisms did not affect [Ca(2+)](i), since the application of forskolin failed to change [Ca(2+)](i) in melanotrophs, a phenomenon readily observed in anterior lobe. Depolarization-induced secretion resulted in two distinct kinetic components: a linear and a threshold component, both stimulated by cAMP. The linear component (ATP-independent) probably represented the exocytosis of the release-ready vesicles, whereas the threshold component was assigned to the exocytosis of secretory vesicles that required ATP-dependent reaction(s) and > 800 nM [Ca(2+)](i). The linear component was modulated by 8-pCPT-2Me-cAMP (Epac agonist), while either H-89 (PKA inhibitor) or Rp-cAMPS (the competitive antagonist of cAMP binding to PKA) completely prevented the action of cAMP on the threshold component. In line with this, 6-Phe-cAMP, (PKA agonist), increased the threshold component. From our study, we suggest that the stimulation of cAMP production by application of oestrogen, as found in pregnant mice, increases the efficacy of the hormonal output through both PKA and cAMP-GEFII/Epac2-dependent mechanisms.

A highly Ca2+-sensitive pool of granules is regulated by glucose and protein kinases in insulin-secreting INS-1 cells

We have used membrane capacitance measurements and carbon-fiber amperometry to assay exocytosis triggered by photorelease of caged Ca²⁺ to directly measure the Ca²⁺ sensitivity of exocytosis from the INS-1 insulin-secreting cell line. We find heterogeneity of the Ca²⁺ sensitivity of release in that a small proportion of granules makes up a highly Ca²⁺-sensitive pool (HCSP), whereas the bulk of granules have a lower sensitivity to Ca²⁺. A substantial HCSP remains after brief membrane depolarization, suggesting that the majority of granules with high sensitivity to Ca²⁺ are not located close to Ca²⁺ channels. The HCSP is enhanced in size by glucose, cAMP, and a phorbol ester, whereas the Ca²⁺-sensitive rate constant of exocytosis from the HCSP is unaffected by cAMP and phorbol ester. The effects of cAMP and phorbol ester on the HCSP are mediated by PKA and PKC, respectively, because they can be blocked with specific protein kinase inhibitors. The size of the HCSP can be enhanced by glucose even in the presence of high concentrations of phorbol ester or cAMP, suggesting that glucose can increase granule pool sizes independently of activation of PKA or PKC. The effects of PKA and PKC on the size of the HCSP are not additive, suggesting they converge on a common mechanism. Carbon-fiber amperometry was used to assay quantal exocytosis of serotonin (5-HT) from insulin-containing granules following preincubation of INS-1 cells with 5-HT and a precursor. The amount or kinetics of release of 5-HT from each granule is not significantly different between granules with higher or lower sensitivity to Ca²⁺, suggesting that granules in these two pools do not differ in morphology or fusion kinetics. We conclude that glucose and second messengers can modulate insulin release triggered by a high-affinity Ca²⁺ sensor that is poised to respond to modest, global elevations of [Ca²⁺]_i.

Protein kinase activation increases insulin secretion by sensitizing the secretory machinery to Ca2+

Glucose and other secretagogues are thought to activate a variety of protein kinases. This study was designed to unravel the sites of action of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) in modulating insulin secretion. By using high time resolution measurements of membrane capacitance and flash photolysis of caged Ca²⁺, we characterize three kinetically different pools of vesicles in rat pancreatic β-cells, namely, a highly calcium-sensitive pool (HCSP), a readily releasable pool (RRP), and a reserve pool. The size of the HCSP is ∼20 fF under resting conditions, but is dramatically increased by application of either phorbol esters or forskolin. Phorbol esters and forskolin also increase the size of RRP to a lesser extent. The augmenting effect of phorbol esters or forskolin is blocked by various PKC or PKA inhibitors, indicating the involvement of these kinases. The effects of PKC and PKA on the size of the HCSP are not additive, suggesting a convergent mechanism. Using a protocol where membrane depolarization is combined with photorelease of Ca²⁺, we find that the HCSP is a distinct population of vesicles from those colocalized with Ca²⁺ channels. We propose that PKA and PKC promote insulin secretion by increasing the number of vesicles that are highly sensitive to Ca²⁺.

Glucagon-like peptide-1: regulation of insulin secretion and therapeutic potential

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an intestinally derived insulinotropic hormone currently under investigation for use as a novel therapeutic agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. One of several important effects of GLP-1 is on nutrient-induced pancreatic hormone release and is mediated by binding to a specific G-protein coupled receptor resulting in the activation of adenylate cyclase and an increase in cAMP generation. In the beta-cell, cAMP binds and modulates activities of both protein kinase A and cAMP-regulated guanine nucleotide exchange factor II, thereby enhancing glucose-dependent insulin secretion. The stimulatory action of GLP-1 on insulin secretion involves interaction with a plethora of signal transduction processes including ion channel activity, intracellular Ca(2+) handling and exocytosis of the insulin-containing granules. In this review we focus principally on recent advances in our understanding on the cellular mechanisms proposed to underlie GLP-1's insulinotropic effect and attempt to incorporate this knowledge into a working model for the control of insulin secretion. Lastly, this review discusses the applicability of GLP-1 as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Beta-cell CaV channel regulation in physiology and pathophysiology

The beta-cell is equipped with at least six voltage-gated Ca2+ (CaV) channel alpha1-subunits designated CaV1.2, CaV1.3, CaV2.1, CaV2.2, CaV2.3, and CaV3.1. These principal subunits, together with certain auxiliary subunits, assemble into different types of CaV channels conducting L-, P/Q-, N-, R-, and T-type Ca2+ currents, respectively. The beta-cell shares customary mechanisms of CaV channel regulation with other excitable cells, such as protein phosphorylation, Ca2+-dependent inactivation, and G protein modulation. However, the beta-cell displays some characteristic features to bring these mechanisms into play. In islet beta-cells, CaV channels can be highly phosphorylated under basal conditions and thus marginally respond to further phosphorylation. In beta-cell lines, CaV channels can be surrounded by tonically activated protein phosphatases dominating over protein kinases; thus their activity is dramatically enhanced by inhibition of protein phosphatases. During the last 10 years, we have revealed some novel mechanisms of beta-cell CaV channel regulation under physiological and pathophysiological conditions, including the involvement of exocytotic proteins, inositol hexakisphosphate, and type 1 diabetic serum. This minireview highlights characteristic features of customary mechanisms of CaV channel regulation in beta-cells and also reviews our studies on newly identified mechanisms of beta-cell CaV channel regulation.

Regulation of Antiprotease and Antimicrobial Protein Secretion by Airway Submucosal Gland Serous Cells

Airway submucosal gland serous cells express the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and secrete antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant molecules. In cystic fibrosis, diminished gland secretion may impair innate airway host defenses. We used Calu-3 cells as a serous cell model to study the types of proteins released, the pathways that release them, and the possible involvement of CFTR activity in protein release. Many proteins were secreted constitutively into the apical fluid and showed increased release to agonists. We identified some of them by high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and reverse transcriptase PCR, including lysozyme, siderocalin (the protein NGAL), which inhibits bacterial growth by binding iron-containing siderophores, HSC-71, which is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, and the serine protease inhibitors alpha-1-antitrypsin and alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, which may function as antimicrobials as well as play a potential role in diminishing the activation of epithelial Na(+) channels by serine proteases. We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to quantify lysozyme secretion by Calu-3 cells in response to various agonists and inhibitors. Forskolin increased the lysozyme secretion rate (J(lyz)) from 32 to 77 ng/hr/cm(2) (n = 36, p < 0.005). Thapsigargin increased J(lyz) from 40 to 63 ng/h/cm(2) (n = 16, p < 0.005), and forskolin plus thapsigargin further increased the forskolin-stimulated J(lyz) by 48% (n = 9, p < 0.05). 1-Ethyl-benzimidazolinone and carbachol were less effective. Glibenclamide inhibited basal and stimulated J(lyz), but clotrimazole was without effect. CFTR(inh)172 caused a small (15%) but significant inhibition of forskolin-stimulated J(lyz) without affecting basal J(lyz). Thus, Calu-3 cells secrete diverse proteins that in aggregate would be expected to suppress microbial growth, protect the airways from damage, and limit the activation of epithelial Na(+) channels via serine proteases.

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.

Insulin feedback alters mitochondrial activity through an ATP-sensitive K+ channel-dependent pathway in mouse islets and beta-cells

Recent work suggests that insulin may exert both positive and negative feedback directly on pancreatic beta-cells. To investigate the hypothesis that insulin modulates beta-cell metabolism, mouse islets and beta-cell clusters were loaded with rhodamine 123 to dynamically monitor mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)). Spontaneous oscillations in DeltaPsi(m) (period: 218 +/- 26 s) were observed in 17 of 30 islets exposed to 11.1 mmol/l glucose. Acute insulin application (100 nmol/l) hyperpolarized DeltaPsi(m), indicating a change in mitochondrial activity. The ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channel opener diazoxide or the l-type calcium channel blocker nifedipine mimicked the effect of insulin, suggesting that insulin activates K(ATP) channels to hyperpolarize DeltaPsi(m) by inhibiting calcium influx. Treatment with forskolin, which increases endogenous insulin secretion, also mimicked the effect of exogenous insulin, suggesting physiological feedback. Pretreatment with nifedipine or the K(ATP) inhibitor glyburide prevented insulin action, further implicating a K(ATP) channel pathway. Together, these data suggest a feedback mechanism whereby insulin receptor activation opens K(ATP) channels to inhibit further secretion. The resulting reduction in beta-cell calcium increases the energy stored in the mitochondrial gradient that drives ATP production. Insulin feedback onto mitochondria may thus help to calibrate the energy needs of the beta-cell on a minute-to-minute basis.

Plasticity of the beta cell insulin secretory competence: preparing the pancreatic beta cell for the next meal

It is well established that the acute rise in plasma glucose and in the incretin hormones glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide (GLP-1), as occurs during a meal, is of pivotal importance in regulating the minute-to-minute output of insulin from pancreatic beta cells. In addition to this well studied acute effect, both glucose and incretin hormones have been recently observed to determine the future secretory responsiveness of the cells. Such plasticity of the insulin secretory competence would imply that glucose and incretins not only act during the present meal, but also help to prepare the beta cells to function during the subsequent meal. Evidence supporting this hypothesis is growing as a result of physiological studies of cultured beta cells (either primary cells or beta cell lines), as well as from an increasing number of large-scale gene expression studies, exploring transcriptional and post-transcriptional events in genes regulated by glucose and incretins. On the basis of this hypothesis, one can speculate that genetic or environmental disturbances of plasticity of the insulin secretory competence is one aspect of beta cell dysfunction that can contribute to the aetiology of type 2 diabetes.

Direct and remote modulation of L-channels in chromaffin cells: distinct actions on alpha1C and alpha1D subunits?

Understanding precisely the functioning of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and their modulation by signaling molecules will help clarifying the Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms controlling exocytosis in chromaffin cells. In recent years, we have learned more about the various pathways through which Ca2+ channels can be up- or down-modulated by hormones and neurotransmitters and how these changes may condition chromaffin cell activity and catecolamine release. Recently, the attention has been focused on the modulation of L-channels (CaV 1), which represent the major Ca2+ current component in rat and human chromaffin cells. L-channels are effectively inhibited by the released content of secretory granules or by applying mixtures of exogenous ATP, opioids, and adrenaline through the activation of receptor-coupled G proteins. This unusual inhibition persists in a wide range of potentials and results from a direct (membrane-delimited) interaction of G protein subunits with the L-channels co-localized in membrane microareas. Inhibition of L-channels can be reversed when the cAMP/PKA pathway is activated by membrane permeable cAMP analog or when cells are exposed to isoprenaline (remote action), suggesting the existence of parallel and opposite effects on L-channel gating by distinctly activated membrane autoreceptors. Here, the authors review the molecular components underlying these two opposing signaling pathways and present new evidence supporting the presence of two L-channel types in rat chromaffin cells (alpha1C and alpha1D), which open new interesting issues concerning Ca(2+)-channel modulation. In light of recent findings on the regulation of exocytosis by Ca(2+)-channel modulation, the authors explore the possible role of L-channels in the autocontrol of catecholamine release.

Calmodulin activity and cAMP signalling modulate growth and apical secretion in pollen tubes

Our present understanding implicates both calmodulin (CaM) and 3',5'-cyclicAMP (cAMP) in the regulation of pollen tube growth. However, downstream molecules of these signalling pathways and the cellular processes they modulate remain largely unknown. In order to elucidate the role of CaM, we mapped its activity in growing pollen tubes. 2-chloro-(epsilon-amino-Lys(75))-[6-4-(N,N'-diethylaminophenyl)-1,3,5-triazin-4-yl]-calmodulin (TA-CaM) and fluorescein-calmodulin (FL-CaM), fluorescent analogues of CaM, were loaded into pollen tubes and CaM activity was mapped by fluorescence ratio imaging. It was found that CaM activity exhibits a tip-focused gradient, similar to the distribution of cytosolic-free calcium ([Ca(2+)](c)). In long pollen tubes, apical CaM activity was also found to oscillate with a period similar to [Ca(2+)](c) (40-80 sec). This oscillatory behaviour was not observed in small pollen tubes or in tubes that had stopped growing. Changes in CaM activity within the dome of the pollen tube apex resulting from the photolysis of caged photolysis of RS-20 (a peptide antagonist of CaM) induced re-orientation of the growth axis, suggesting that CaM is also involved in the guidance mechanism. CaM activity was strongly modulated by intracellular changes in cAMP (induced by activators and antagonists of adenylyl cyclase). These results indicate that the action of this protein is dependent not solely on [Ca(2+)](c) but also on a cross-talk with other signalling pathways. A putative target of this cross-talk is the secretory machinery as observed in pollen tubes loaded with the FM (N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(4-dibutylamino)styryl)pyridinium dibromide 1-43 dye and exposed to different antagonists and activators of these molecules. Our data thus suggest that pollen tube growth and orientation depend on an intricate cross-talk between multiple signalling pathways in which CaM is a key element.

Capacitance measurements of exocytosis in mouse pancreatic alpha-, beta- and delta-cells within intact islets of Langerhans

Capacitance measurements of exocytosis were applied to functionally identified alpha-, beta- and delta-cells in intact mouse pancreatic islets. The maximum rate of capacitance increase in beta-cells during a depolarization to 0 mV was equivalent to 14 granules s(-1), <5% of that observed in isolated beta-cells. Beta-cell secretion exhibited bell-shaped voltage dependence and peaked at +20 mV. At physiological membrane potentials (up to approximately -20 mV) the maximum rate of release was approximately 4 granules s(-1). Both exocytosis (measured by capacitance measurements) and insulin release (detected by radioimmunoassay) were strongly inhibited by the L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker nifedipine (25 microm) but only marginally (<20%) affected by the R-type Ca(2+) channel blocker SNX482 (100 nm). Exocytosis in the glucagon-producing alpha-cells peaked at +20 mV. The capacitance increases elicited by pulses to 0 mV exhibited biphasic kinetics and consisted of an initial transient (150 granules s(-1)) and a sustained late component (30 granules s(-1)). Whereas addition of the N-type Ca(2+) channel blocker omega-conotoxin GVIA (0.1 microm) inhibited glucagon secretion measured in the presence of 1 mm glucose to the same extent as an elevation of glucose to 20 mm, the L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker nifedipine (25 microm) had no effect. Thus, glucagon release during hyperglycaemic conditions depends principally on Ca(2+)-influx through N-type rather than L-type Ca(2+) channels. Exocytosis in the somatostatin-secreting delta-cells likewise exhibited two kinetically separable phases of capacitance increase and consisted of an early rapid (600 granules s(-1)) component followed by a sustained slower (60 granules s(-1)) component. We conclude that (1) capacitance measurements in intact pancreatic islets are feasible; (2) exocytosis measured in beta-cells in situ is significantly slower than that of isolated cells; and (3) the different types of islet cells exhibit distinct exocytotic features.

Regulated exocytosis of GABA-containing synaptic-like microvesicles in pancreatic beta-cells

We have explored whether γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is released by regulated exocytosis of GABA-containing synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs) in insulin-releasing rat pancreatic β-cells. To this end, β-cells were engineered to express GABA_A-receptor Cl⁻-channels at high density using adenoviral infection. Electron microscopy indicated that the average diameter of the SLMVs is 90 nm, that every β-cell contains ∼3,500 such vesicles, and that insulin-containing large dense core vesicles exclude GABA. Quantal release of GABA, seen as rapidly activating and deactivating Cl⁻-currents, was observed during membrane depolarizations from −70 mV to voltages beyond −40 mV or when Ca²⁺ was dialysed into the cell interior. Depolarization-evoked GABA release was suppressed when Ca²⁺ entry was inhibited using Cd²⁺. Analysis of the kinetics of GABA release revealed that GABA-containing vesicles can be divided into a readily releasable pool and a reserve pool. Simultaneous measurements of GABA release and cell capacitance indicated that exocytosis of SLMVs contributes ∼1% of the capacitance signal. Mathematical analysis of the release events suggests that every SLMV contains 0.36 amol of GABA. We conclude that there are two parallel pathways of exocytosis in pancreatic β-cells and that release of GABA may accordingly be temporally and spatially separated from insulin secretion. This provides a basis for paracrine GABAergic signaling within the islet.

Potential role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha in the modulation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion

In this review, we discuss the influence of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha on islet insulin secretion and develop the hypothesis that modulation of PPAR-alpha function may be important for the regulation of compensatory insulin secretion. We have attempted to analyze the role of PPAR-alpha-linked fatty acid metabolism in islet function in health and in insulin-resistant states linked to lifestyle factors, in particular pregnancy and a diet inappropriately high in saturated fat. We have emphasized the potential for both actions of PPAR-alpha on insulin sensitivity that may be relayed systemically to the islet, leading to modulation of the insulin response in accordance with changes in insulin sensitivity, and direct effects of PPAR-alpha action on the islet itself. Finally, we have developed the concept that compensatory insulin secretion may have a function not only in glucoregulation but also in liporegulation. Thus, augmented insulin secretion may reflect a requirement for lipid lowering as well as for increased glucose disposal and is perceived to aim to compensate for impaired suppression of islet lipid delivery by insulin. This introduces the possibility of a continuum between liporegulation with islet compensation and lipodysregulation leading to islet decompensation in the development of type 2 diabetes.

Type VIII adenylyl cyclase in rat beta cells: coincidence signal detector/generator for glucose and GLP-1

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The secretory function of pancreatic beta cells is synergistically stimulated by two signalling pathways which mediate the effects of nutrients and hormones such as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) or glucagon. These hormones are known to activate adenylyl cyclase in beta cells. We examined the type of adenylyl cyclase that is associated with this synergistic interaction.

METHODS

Insulin release, cAMP production, adenylyl cyclase activity, mRNA and protein expression were measured in fluorescence-activated cell sorter-purified rat beta cells and in the rat beta-cell lines RINm5F, INS-1 832/13 and INS-1 832/2.

RESULTS

In primary beta cells, glucagon and GLP-1 synergistically potentiate the stimulatory effect of 20 mmol/l glucose on insulin release and cAMP production. Both effects are abrogated in the presence of the L-type Ca(2+)-channel blocker verapamil. The cAMP-producing activity of adenylyl cyclase in membranes from RINm5F cells is synergistically increased by Ca(2+)-calmodulin and recombinant GTP(gamma)S-activated G(s alpha)-protein subunits. This type of regulation is characteristic for type I and type VIII AC isoforms. Consistent with this functional data, AC mRNA analysis shows abundant expression of type VI AC, four splice variants of type VIII AC and low expression level of type I AC in beta cells. Type VIII AC expression at the protein level was observed using immunoblots of RINm5F cell extracts.

CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION

This study identifies type VIII AC in insulin-secreting cells as one of the potential molecular targets for synergism between GLP-1 receptor mediated and glucose-mediated signalling.

Insulin granule dynamics in pancreatic beta cells

Glucose-induced insulin secretion in response to a step increase in blood glucose concentrations follows a biphasic time course consisting of a rapid and transient first phase followed by a slowly developing and sustained second phase. Because Type 2 diabetes involves defects of insulin secretion, manifested as a loss of first phase and a reduction of second phase, it is important to understand the cellular mechanisms underlying biphasic insulin secretion. Insulin release involves the packaging of insulin in small (diameter approximately 0.3 micro m) secretory granules, the trafficking of these granules to the plasma membrane, the exocytotic fusion of the granules with the plasma membrane and eventually the retrieval of the secreted membranes by endocytosis. Until recently, studies on insulin secretion have been confined to the appearance of insulin in the extracellular space and the cellular events preceding exocytosis have been inaccessible to more detailed analysis. Evidence from a variety of secretory tissues, including pancreatic islet cells suggests, however, that the secretory granules can be functionally divided into distinct pools that are distinguished by their release competence and/or proximity to the plasma membrane. The introduction of fluorescent proteins that can be targeted to the secretory granules, in combination with the advent of new techniques that allow real-time imaging of granule trafficking in living cells (granule dynamics), has led to an explosion of our knowledge of the pre-exocytotic and post-exocytotic processes in the beta cell. Here we discuss these observations in relation to previous functional and ultra-structural data as well as the secretory defects of Type 2 diabetes.

Prolactin regulates adenylyl cyclase and insulin secretion in rat pancreatic islets

A role for prolactin (PRL) in the regulation of adenylyl cyclase (AC), cyclic AMP (cAMP) formation and insulin secretion was studied in isolated rat pancreatic islets cultured for 4 days at 5.5 mM glucose in the absence (control) or presence of PRL (500 ng/ml). In PRL-treated islets, stimulation by glucose (8 mM), carbamylcholine chloride (CCh) and phorbol dibutyrate increased cAMP levels 40, 89, and 151%, respectively, above similarly stimulated control islets without PRL. Moreover, insulin secretion in PRL-treated islets was more than doubled in response to 8 mM glucose plus glucagon-like peptide 1 compared with control islets. PRL also increased protein kinase C (PKC) activity in cultured islets. When islets were cultured at an insulin secretion desensitizing concentration of glucose (11 mM) for 4 days, there was a decrease in forskolin-stimulated cAMP production. However, the presence of PRL with 11 mM glucose prevented the glucose-induced decrease in cAMP production. Insulin secretion in response to 17 mM glucose was also higher (P<0.02) in islets cultured with 11 mM glucose plus PRL compared with islets cultured with 11 mM glucose alone. Islet AC types -III, -V, and -VI mRNA levels increased relative to 18s rRNA following PRL treatment. In contrast, culture at 11 mM glucose decreased relative AC-III, -V and -VI mRNA levels by as much as 50%. Culture with PRL prevented the decrease in AC expression during islet culture with 11 mM glucose, and the mRNA levels remained similar to control islets cultured at 5.5 mM glucose. Thus, PRL not only increased islet AC expression and activity and insulin secretory responsiveness, but also protected islets from chronic glucose-induced inhibition of these beta-cell activation parameters.

A reappraisal of the blood glucose homeostat which comprehensively explains the type 2 diabetes mellitus-syndrome X complex

Blood glucose concentrations are unaffected by exercise despite very high rates of glucose flux. The plasma ionised calcium levels are even more tightly controlled after meals and during lactation. This implies 'integral control'. However, pairs of integral counterregulatory controllers (e.g. insulin and glucagon, or calcitonin and parathyroid hormone) cannot operate on the same controlled variable, unless there is some form of mutual inhibition. Flip-flop functional coupling between pancreatic alpha- and beta-cells via gap junctions may provide such a mechanism. Secretion of a common inhibitory chromogranin by the parathyroids and the thyroidal C-cells provides another. Here we describe how the insulin:glucagon flip-flop controller can be complemented by growth hormone, despite both being integral controllers. Homeostatic conflict is prevented by somatostatin-28 secretion from both the hypothalamus and the pancreatic islets. Our synthesis of the information pertaining to the glucose homeostat that has accumulated in the literature predicts that disruption of the flip-flop mechanism by the accumulation of amyloid in the pancreatic islets in type 2 diabetes mellitus will lead to hyperglucagonaemia, hyperinsulinaemia, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and impaired insulin responsiveness to elevated blood glucose levels. It explains syndrome X (or metabolic syndrome) as incipient type 2 diabetes in which the glucose control system, while impaired, can still maintain blood glucose at the desired level. It also explains why it is characterised by high plasma insulin levels and low plasma growth hormone levels, despite normoglycaemia, and how this leads to central obesity, dyslipidaemia and cardiovascular disease in both syndrome X and type 2 diabetes.

Secretory granule exocytosis

Regulated exocytosis of secretory granules or dense-core granules has been examined in many well-characterized cell types including neurons, neuroendocrine, endocrine, exocrine, and hemopoietic cells and also in other less well-studied cell types. Secretory granule exocytosis occurs through mechanisms with many aspects in common with synaptic vesicle exocytosis and most likely uses the same basic protein components. Despite the widespread expression and conservation of a core exocytotic machinery, many variations occur in the control of secretory granule exocytosis that are related to the specialized physiological role of particular cell types. In this review we describe the wide range of cell types in which regulated secretory granule exocytosis occurs and assess the evidence for the expression of the conserved fusion machinery in these cells. The signals that trigger and regulate exocytosis are reviewed. Aspects of the control of exocytosis that are specific for secretory granules compared with synaptic vesicles or for particular cell types are described and compared to define the range of accessory control mechanisms that exert their effects on the core exocytotic machinery.

SUR1 regulates PKA-independent cAMP-induced granule priming in mouse pancreatic B-cells

Measurements of membrane capacitance were applied to dissect the cellular mechanisms underlying PKA-dependent and -independent stimulation of insulin secretion by cyclic AMP. Whereas the PKA-independent (Rp-cAMPS-insensitive) component correlated with a rapid increase in membrane capacitance of approximately 80 fF that plateaued within approximately 200 ms, the PKA-dependent component became prominent during depolarizations >450 ms. The PKA-dependent and -independent components of cAMP-stimulated exocytosis differed with regard to cAMP concentration dependence; the K(d) values were 6 and 29 micro M for the PKA-dependent and -independent mechanisms, respectively. The ability of cAMP to elicit exocytosis independently of PKA activation was mimicked by the selective cAMP-GEFII agonist 8CPT-2Me-cAMP. Moreover, treatment of B-cells with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides against cAMP-GEFII resulted in partial (50%) suppression of PKA-independent exocytosis. Surprisingly, B-cells in islets isolated from SUR1-deficient mice (SUR1(-/-) mice) lacked the PKA-independent component of exocytosis. Measurements of insulin release in response to GLP-1 stimulation in isolated islets from SUR1(-/-) mice confirmed the complete loss of the PKA-independent component. This was not attributable to a reduced capacity of GLP-1 to elevate intracellular cAMP but instead associated with the inability of cAMP to stimulate influx of Cl(-) into the granules, a step important for granule priming. We conclude that the role of SUR1 in the B cell extends beyond being a subunit of the plasma membrane K(ATP)-channel and that it also plays an unexpected but important role in the cAMP-dependent regulation of Ca(2+)-induced exocytosis.

Amplification of exocytosis by Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in INS-1 pancreatic beta cells

Functional coupling between Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR) and quantal exocytosis in 5-hydroxytryptamine-loaded INS-1 beta cells was assessed through the use of carbon fibre amperometry in combination with Fura-2. CICR was evoked by the glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist exendin-4 (Ex-4) and was accompanied by quantal secretory events appearing as amperometric current spikes time-locked to the increase of [Ca(2+)](i). The action of Ex-4 was reproduced by treatment with caffeine, and the source of Ca(2+) serving as a stimulus for exocytosis originated from ryanodine and thapsigargin-sensitive Ca(2+) stores. Two distinct patterns of exocytosis occurred within 5 s following the initiation of CICR. Non-summating exocytosis (NS-type) was defined as multiple asynchronous current spikes, and the half-height duration of each spike was 12-48 ms. Summating exocytosis (S-type) was defined as a cluster of spikes. It generated a macroscopic current, the half-height duration of which was 243-682 ms. The release charge of S-type exocytosis was 3.2-fold greater than that of NS-type when measured 2 s following the initiation of secretion. NS-type exocytosis was observed frequently under conditions in which the basal Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](B)) was low (75-150 nM), whereas S-type exocytosis predominated under conditions in which the [Ca(2+)](B) was elevated (200-275 nM). Depolarization-induced Ca(2+) influx triggered NS-type exocytosis in most cells tested, irrespective of [Ca(2+)](B). It is concluded that CICR is a highly effective stimulus for exocytosis in INS-1 cells. The increase of [Ca(2+)](i) that accompanies CICR stimulates the asynchronous release of a small number of secretory granules under conditions of low [Ca(2+)](B). When [Ca(2+)](B) is slightly elevated, CICR targets a much larger pool of secretory granules that undergo summating exocytosis. The transition from NS-type to S-type exocytosis may represent an amplification mechanism for Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 and fatty acids amplify pulsatile insulin secretion from perifused rat islets

Glucose-induced insulin secretion from isolated, perifused rat islets is pulsatile with a period of about 5-10 min, similar to the insulin oscillations that are seen in healthy humans but which are impaired in Type II diabetes. We evaluated the pattern of enhancement by the potent incretin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 increased the amplitude of pulses and the magnitude of insulin secretion from the perifused islets, without affecting the average time interval between pulses. Forskolin and the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine had the same effect, suggesting that the effect was due to elevated cAMP levels. The possibility that cAMP might enhance the amplitude of pulses by reducing phosphofructo-2-kinase (PFK-2) activity was eliminated when the liver isoform of PFK-2 was shown to be absent from beta-cells. The possibility that cAMP enhanced pulsatile secretion, at least in part, by stimulating lipolysis was supported by the observations that added oleate had a similar effect on secretion, and that the incretin effect of GLP-1 was inhibited by the lipase inhibitor orlistat. These data show that the physiological incretin GLP-1 preserves and enhances normal pulsatile insulin secretion, which may be essential in proposed therapeutic uses of GLP-1 or its analogues.

The multiple actions of GLP-1 on the process of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion

The physiological effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are of immense interest because of the potential clinical relevance of this peptide. Produced in intestinal L-cells through posttranslational processing of the proglucagon gene, GLP-1 is released from the gut in response to nutrient ingestion. Peripherally, GLP-1 is known to affect gut motility, inhibit gastric acid secretion, and inhibit glucagon secretion. In the central nervous system, GLP-1 induces satiety, leading to reduced weight gain. In the pancreas, GLP-1 is now known to induce expansion of insulin-secreting beta-cell mass, in addition to its most well-characterized effect: the augmentation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. GLP-1 is believed to enhance insulin secretion through mechanisms involving the regulation of ion channels (including ATP-sensitive K(+) channels, voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels, voltage-dependent K(+) channels, and nonselective cation channels) and by the regulation of intracellular energy homeostasis and exocytosis. The present article will focus principally on the mechanisms proposed to underlie the glucose dependence of GLP-1's insulinotropic effect.

Glucose-stimulated signaling pathways in biphasic insulin secretion

Glucose-stimulated biphasic insulin secretion involves at least two signaling pathways, the KATP channel-dependent and KATP channel-independent pathways, respectively. In the former, enhanced glucose metabolism increases the cellular adenosine triphosphate/adenosine diphosphate (ATP/ADP) ratio, closes KATP channels and depolarizes the cell. Activation of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels increases Ca(2+) entry and [Ca(2+)]i and stimulates insulin release. The KATP channel-independent pathways augment the response to increased [Ca(2+)]i by mechanisms that are currently unknown. However, they affect different pools of insulin-containing granules in a highly coordinated manner. The beta-cell granule pools can be minimally described as reserve, morphologically docked, readily and immediately releasable. Activation of the KATP channel-dependent pathway results in exocytosis of an immediately releasable pool that is responsible for the first phase of glucose-stimulated insulin release. Following glucose metabolism, the rate-limiting step for the first phase lies in the rate of signal transduction between sensing the rise in [Ca(2+)]i and exocytosis of the immediately releasable granules. The immediately releasable pool of granules can be enlarged by previous exposure to glucose (by time-dependent potentiation, TDP), and by second messengers such as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and diacylglycerol (DAG). The second phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion is due mainly to the KATP channel-independent pathways acting in synergy with the KATP channel-dependent pathway. The rate-limiting step here is the conversion of readily releasable granules to the state of immediate releasability, following which, in an activated cell they will undergo exocytosis. In the rat and human beta-cell the KATP channel-independent pathways induce a time-dependent increase in the rate of this step that results in the typical rising second-phase response. In the mouse beta-cell the rate appears not to be changed much by glucose. Potential intermediates involved in controlling the rate-limiting step include increases in cytosolic long-chain acyl-CoA levels, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and guanosine triphosphate (GTP), DAG binding proteins, including some isoforms of protein kinase (PKC), and protein acyl transferases. Agonists that can change the rate-limiting steps for both phases of insulin release include those like glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) that raise cyclic AMP levels and those like acetylcholine that act via DAG.

Important role of phosphodiesterase 3B for the stimulatory action of cAMP on pancreatic beta-cell exocytosis and release of insulin

Cyclic AMP potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin release and mediates the stimulatory effects of hormones such as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) on pancreatic beta-cells. By inhibition of cAMP-degrading phosphodiesterase (PDE) and, in particular, selective inhibition of PDE3 activity, stimulatory effects on insulin secretion have been observed. Molecular and functional information on beta-cell PDE3 is, however, scarce. To provide such information, we have studied the specific effects of the PDE3B isoform by adenovirus-mediated overexpression. In rat islets and rat insulinoma cells, approximate 10-fold overexpression of PDE3B was accompanied by a 6-8-fold increase in membrane-associated PDE3B activity. The cAMP concentration was significantly lowered in transduced cells (INS-1(832/13)), and insulin secretion in response to stimulation with high glucose (11.1 mm) was reduced by 40% (islets) and 50% (INS-1). Further, the ability of GLP-1 (100 nm) to augment glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was inhibited by approximately 30% (islets) and 70% (INS-1). Accordingly, when stimulating with cAMP, a substantial decrease (65%) in exocytotic capacity was demonstrated in patch-clamped single beta-cells. In untransduced insulinoma cells, application of the PDE3-selective inhibitor OPC3911 (10 microm) was shown to increase glucose-stimulated insulin release as well as cAMP-enhanced exocytosis. The findings suggest a significant role of PDE3B as an important regulator of insulin secretory processes.

Reduction in pancreatic transcription factor PDX-1 impairs glucose-stimulated insulin secretion

Complete lack of transcription factor PDX-1 leads to pancreatic agenesis, whereas heterozygosity for PDX-1 mutations has been recently noted in some individuals with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) and in some individuals with type 2 diabetes. To determine how alterations in PDX-1 affect islet function, we examined insulin secretion and islet physiology in mice with one PDX-1 allele inactivated. PDX-1(+/-) mice had a normal fasting blood glucose and pancreatic insulin content but had impaired glucose tolerance and secreted less insulin during glucose tolerance testing. The expression of PDX-1 and glucose transporter 2 in islets from PDX-1(+/-) mice was reduced to 68 and 55%, respectively, whereas glucokinase expression was not significantly altered. NAD(P)H generation in response to glucose was reduced by 30% in PDX-1(+/-) mice. The in situ perfused pancreas of PDX-1(+/-) mice secreted about 45% less insulin when stimulated with 16.7 mm glucose. The K(m) for insulin release was similar in wild type and PDX-1(+/-) mice. Insulin secretion in response to 20 mm arginine was unchanged; the response to 10 nm glucagon-like peptide-1 was slightly increased. However, insulin secretory responses to 10 mm 2-ketoisocaproate and 20 mm KCl were significantly reduced (by 61 and 66%, respectively). These results indicate that a modest reduction in PDX-1 impairs several events in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (such as NAD(P)H generation, mitochondrial function, and/or mobilization of intracellular Ca(2+)) and that PDX-1 is important for normal function of adult pancreatic islets.

Somatostatin stimulates GH secretion in two porcine somatotrope subpopulations through a cAMP-dependent pathway

Somatostatin (SRIF) inhibits GH release from rat somatotropes by reducing adenylate cyclase (AC) activity and the free cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). In contrast, we have reported that SRIF can stimulate GH release in vitro from pig somatotropes. Specifically, 10(-7) and 10(-15) M SRIF stimulate GH release from a subpopulation of high density (HD) somatotropes isolated by Percoll gradient centrifugation, whereas in low density (LD) somatotropes only 10(-15) M SRIF induces such an effect. To ascertain the signaling pathways underlying this phenomenon, we assessed SRIF effects on second messengers in cultured LD and HD cells by measuring cAMP, IP turnover, and [Ca(2+)](i). Likewise, contribution of the corresponding signaling pathways to SRIF-induced GH release was evaluated by blocking AC, PLC, extracellular Ca(2+) influx, or intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization. Both 10(-7) and 10(-15) M SRIF increased cAMP, IP turnover, and [Ca(2+)](i) in HD cells. Conversely, in LD cells 10(-7) M SRIF reduced [Ca(2+)](i), but did not alter cAMP or IP, and 10(-15) M SRIF was without effect. Interestingly, SRIF-stimulated GH release was abolished in both subpopulations by AC blockade, but not by PLC inhibition. Furthermore, SRIF-induced GH release was not reduced by blockade of extracellular Ca(2+) influx through voltage-sensitive channels or by depletion of thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular Ca(2+) stores. Therefore, SRIF stimulates GH secretion from cultured porcine somatotrope subpopulations through an AC/cAMP pathway-dependent mechanism that is seemingly independent of net increases in IP turnover or [Ca(2+)](i). These novel actions challenge classic views of SRIF as a mere inhibitor for somatotropes and suggest that it may exert a more complex, dual function in the control of porcine GH release, wherein molecular heterogeneity of somatotropes would play a critical role.

Triggering of insulin release by a combination of cAMP signal and nutrients: an ATP-sensitive K+ channel-independent phenomenon

Nutrient augmentation of Ca(2+)-triggered insulin release occurs in an ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channel--independent manner. Here, using rat islets, we explored the possibility of the K(ATP) channel-independent nutrient triggering of insulin release. In the presence of 250 micromol/l diazoxide, simultaneous application of forskolin and 16.7 mmol/l glucose strongly stimulated insulin release: fourfold and eightfold increases with 1 and 30 micromol/l forskolin, respectively. alpha-Ketoisocaproate (KIC) and 3-isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX) could be used in place of glucose and forskolin, respectively, to trigger insulin release in the presence of diazoxide. Triggering of insulin release by a combination of nutrients and forskolin was not attenuated by 10 micromol/l nifedipine (a blocker of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels) and 2 micromol/l thapsigargin (an inhibitor of intracellular Ca(2+)-ATPase), ascertaining independence of this phenomenon from Ca(2+) entry and from intracellular Ca(2+) liberation. As anticipated, the action of glucose and KIC was greatly (>80%) suppressed by inhibition of mitochondrial metabolism by 2 mmol/l sodium azide (NaN(3)). A combination of palmitate and dimethyl glutamate (a cell-permeable glutamate donor), but not either one alone, weakly but unequivocally triggered insulin release when applied simultaneously with forskolin. In this case, however, mitochondrial poisoning by azide was without effect. The finding suggests that a combination of induced palmitoylation and cytosolic glutamate accumulation partially reconstituted signaling beyond mitochondrial metabolism in the beta-cell upon glucose stimulation. In conclusion, a combination of cAMP signal and nutrients potently triggers insulin release under full activation of the K(ATP) channel, indicating the multiplicity of driving force for insulin exocytosis.

Dopamine modulates exocytosis independent of Ca(2+) entry in melanotropic cells

Dopamine is a known inhibitor of pituitary melanotropic cells. It reduces Ca(2+) influx by hyperpolarizing the cell membrane and by modulating high- and low-voltage-activated (HVA and LVA) Ca(2+) channels. As a result, dopamine reduces the hormonal output of the cell. However, it is unknown how dopamine affects each of the four different HVA Ca(2+) channel types individually. Moreover, it is unknown whether dopamine interacts with exocytosis independent of Ca(2+) channels. Here we show that dopamine differentially modulates the HVA Ca(2+) channels and that it affects the stimulus-secretion coupling through a direct effect on the exocytotic machinery. Sustained L- and P-type Ba(2+) currents are reduced in amplitude and inactivating N- and Q-type currents acquire different activation and inactivation kinetics in the presence of dopamine. The Q-type current shows slow activation, which is a hallmark for direct G-protein modulation. We used membrane capacitance measurements to monitor exocytosis. Surprisingly, we find that the amount of exocytosis per step depolarization is not diminished by dopamine despite the reduction in Ca(2+) current. To test whether dopamine affects the release machinery downstream of Ca(2+) entry, we stimulated exocytosis by dialyzing cells with buffered high-Ca(2+) solutions. Dopamine increased the amount and the rate of exocytosis. In the first 90 s, the rate of secretion was increased two- to threefold, but it was normalized again at 180 s, suggesting that predominantly vesicles that fuse early in the exocytotic phase are modulated by dopamine. Thus while Ca(2+) channels are inhibited by dopamine, the exocytotic machinery downstream of Ca(2+) influx is sensitized. As a result, release is more effectively stimulated by Ca(2+) influx during dopamine inhibition.