Effects of external ATP on Ca(2+) signalling in endothelial cells isolated from mouse islets

Pancreatic Blood Flow with Special Emphasis on Blood Perfusion of the Islets of Langerhans

The pancreatic islets are more richly vascularized than the exocrine pancreas, and possess a 5- to 10-fold higher basal and stimulated blood flow, which is separately regulated. This is reflected in the vascular anatomy of the pancreas where islets have separate arterioles. There is also an insulo-acinar portal system, where numerous venules connect each islet to the acinar capillaries. Both islets and acini possess strong metabolic regulation of their blood perfusion. Of particular importance, especially in the islets, is adenosine and ATP/ADP. Basal and stimulated blood flow is modified by local endothelial mediators, the nervous system as well as gastrointestinal hormones. Normally the responses to the nervous system, especially the parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves, are fairly similar in endocrine and exocrine parts. The islets seem to be more sensitive to the effects of endothelial mediators, especially nitric oxide, which is a permissive factor to maintain the high basal islet blood flow. The gastrointestinal hormones with pancreatic effects mainly influence the exocrine pancreatic blood flow, whereas islets are less affected. A notable exception is incretin hormones and adipokines, which preferentially affect islet vasculature. Islet hormones can influence both exocrine and endocrine blood vessels, and these complex effects are discussed. Secondary changes in pancreatic and islet blood flow occur during several conditions. To what extent changes in blood perfusion may affect the pathogenesis of pancreatic diseases is discussed. Both type 2 diabetes mellitus and acute pancreatitis are conditions where we think there is evidence that blood flow may contribute to disease manifestations. © 2019 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 9:799-837, 2019.

Purinergic signalling in endocrine organs

There is widespread involvement of purinergic signalling in endocrine biology. Pituitary cells express P1, P2X and P2Y receptor subtypes to mediate hormone release. Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) regulates insulin release in the pancreas and is involved in the secretion of thyroid hormones. ATP plays a major role in the synthesis, storage and release of catecholamines from the adrenal gland. In the ovary purinoceptors mediate gonadotrophin-induced progesterone secretion, while in the testes, both Sertoli and Leydig cells express purinoceptors that mediate secretion of oestradiol and testosterone, respectively. ATP released as a cotransmitter with noradrenaline is involved in activities of the pineal gland and in the neuroendocrine control of the thymus. In the hypothalamus, ATP and adenosine stimulate or modulate the release of luteinising hormone-releasing hormone, as well as arginine-vasopressin and oxytocin. Functionally active P2X and P2Y receptors have been identified on human placental syncytiotrophoblast cells and on neuroendocrine cells in the lung, skin, prostate and intestine. Adipocytes have been recognised recently to have endocrine function involving purinoceptors.

Ang(1-7) treatment attenuates β-cell dysfunction by improving pancreatic microcirculation in a rat model of Type 2 diabetes

AIMS

Pancreatic microcirculation plays a pivotal role in the physiological function and survival of β-cells. Ang(1- 7) is a novel component of the renin angiotensin system (RAS) that has beneficial effects on microcirculation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of systemic Ang(1-7) administration (with or without its receptor Mas antagonist A- 779) on pancreatic microcirculation and β-cell function.

METHODS

These effects were studied in vivo using a rat model of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Pancreatic microcirculation and islet microvessel density were measured; and β-cell function, insulin content, and the apoptosis of islet cells were assessed, respectively. Additionally, we evaluated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression and nitric oxide (NO) concentration in islets.

RESULTS

After Ang(1-7) intervention, pancreatic microcirculation and intra-islet microvessel density were significantly improved (p<0.05), and more importantly, first-phase insulin secretion of β-cells as well as relative insulin content in islets were increased, and the amount of apoptotic islet cells was decreased (p<0.05). And eNOS expression and NO release were up-regulated in pancreatic islets by Ang(1-7) administration (p<0.05). These positive effects of Ang(1-7) were prevented by the addition of A-779 (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that systemic Ang(1-7) treatment could attenuate β-cell dysfunction and ameliorate islet cell apoptosis in T2DM rats by improving pancreatic microcirculation, perhaps through the mechanism of endothelial vasodilation.

Purinergic signalling in the pancreas in health and disease

Pancreatic cells contain specialised stores for ATP. Purinergic receptors (P2 and P1) and ecto-nucleotidases are expressed in both endocrine and exocrine calls, as well as in stromal cells. The pancreas, especially the endocrine cells, were an early target for the actions of ATP. After the historical perspective of purinergic signalling in the pancreas, the focus of this review will be the physiological functions of purinergic signalling in the regulation of both endocrine and exocrine pancreas. Next, we will consider possible interaction between purinergic signalling and other regulatory systems and their relation to nutrient homeostasis and cell survival. The pancreas is an organ exhibiting several serious diseases - cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and diabetes - and some are associated with changes in life-style and are increasing in incidence. There is upcoming evidence for the role of purinergic signalling in the pathophysiology of the pancreas, and the new challenge is to understand how it is integrated with other pathological processes.

Paracrine interactions within islets of Langerhans

Glucose supply fluctuates between meal and fasting periods and its consumption by the body varies greatly depending on bodily metabolism. Pancreatic islets of Langerhans secrete various endocrine hormones including insulin and glucagon to keep blood glucose level relatively constant. Additionally, islet hormones regulate activity of neighboring cells as local autocrine or paracrine modulators. Moreover, islet cells release neurotransmitters such as glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to gain more precise regulation of hormones release kinetics. Excitatory glutamate is co-released with glucagon from α-cells and activates glutamate receptors in the neighboring cells. GABA released from β-cells was shown to inhibit α-cells but to activate β-cells by acting GABA(A) receptors. This review summarizes the recent progress in understanding the paracrine/autocrine interactions in islets.

The neurotransmitter ATP triggers Ca2+ responses promoting coordination of pancreatic islet oscillations

OBJECTIVES

Pulsatile insulin release into the portal vein is critically dependent on entrainment of the islets in the pancreas into a common oscillatory phase. Because the pulses reflect periodic variations of the cytoplasmic Ca concentration ([Ca]i), we studied whether the neurotransmitters adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and acetylcholine promote synchronization of [Ca]i oscillations between islets lacking contact.

METHODS

Medium-sized and small mouse islets and cell aggregates were used for measuring [Ca]i with the indicator fura-2.

RESULTS

Exposure to acetylcholine resulted in an initial [Ca]i peak followed by disappearance of the [Ca]i oscillations induced by 11-mmol/L glucose. The effect of ATP was often restricted to an elusive [Ca]i peak. The incidence of distinct [Ca]i responses to ATP increased under conditions (accelerated superfusion, small islets, or cell aggregates) intended to counteract purinoceptor desensitization owing to intercellular accumulation of ATP. Attempts to imitate neural activity by brief (15 seconds) exposure to ATP or acetylcholine resulted in temporary synchronization of the glucose-induced [Ca]i oscillations between islets lacking contact.

CONCLUSIONS

The data support the idea that purinergic signaling has a key role for coordinating the oscillatory activity of the islets in the pancreas, reinforcing previous arguments for the involvement of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neurons.

Characterization of a monoclonal antibody as the first specific inhibitor of human NTP diphosphohydrolase-3 : partial characterization of the inhibitory epitope and potential applications

The study and therapeutic modulation of purinergic signaling is hindered by a lack of specific inhibitors for NTP diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases),which are the terminating enzymes for these processes. In addition, little is known of the NTPDase protein structural elements that affect enzymatic activity and which could be used as targets for inhibitor design. In the present study, we report the first inhibitory monoclonal antibodies specific for an NTPDase, namely human NTPDase3 (EC 3.6.1.5), as assessed by ELISA, western blotting, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and inhibition assays. Antibody recognition of NTPDase3 is greatly attenuated by denaturation with SDS, and abolished by reducing agents, indicating the significance of the native conformation and the disulfide bonds for epitope recognition. Using site-directed chemical cleavage, the SDS-resistant parts of the epitope were located in two fragments of the C-terminal lobe ofNTPDase3 (i.e. Leu220-Cys347 and Cys347-Pro485), which are both required for antibody binding. Additional site-directed mutagenesis revealed the importance of Ser297 and the fifth disulfide bond (Cys399-Cys422) for antibody binding, indicating that the discontinuous inhibitory epitope is located on the extracellular C-terminal lobe of NTPDase3. These antibodies inhibit recombinant NTPDase3 by 60-90%, depending on the conditions. More importantly, they also efficiently inhibit the NTPDase3expressed in insulin secreting human pancreatic islet cells in situ. Because insulin secretion is modulated by extracellular ATP and purinergic receptors, this finding suggests the potential application of these inhibitory antibodies for the study and control of insulin secretion.