1
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Acreman S, Ma J, Denwood G, Gao R, Tarasov A, Rorsman P, Zhang Q. The endoplasmic reticulum plays a key role in α-cell intracellular Ca 2+ dynamics and glucose-regulated glucagon secretion in mouse islets. iScience 2024; 27:109665. [PMID: 38646167 PMCID: PMC11033163 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Glucagon is secreted by pancreatic α-cells to counteract hypoglycaemia. How glucose regulates glucagon secretion remains unclear. Here, using mouse islets, we studied the role of transmembrane and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ on intrinsic α-cell glucagon secretion. Blocking isradipine-sensitive L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ (Cav) channels abolished α-cell electrical activity but had little impact on its cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations or low-glucose-stimulated glucagon secretion. In contrast, depleting ER Ca2+ with cyclopiazonic acid or blocking ER Ca2+-releasing ryanodine receptors abolished α-cell glucose sensitivity and low-glucose-stimulated glucagon secretion. ER Ca2+ mobilization in α-cells is regulated by intracellular ATP and likely to be coupled to Ca2+ influx through P/Q-type Cav channels. ω-Agatoxin IVA blocked α-cell ER Ca2+ release and cell exocytosis, but had no additive effect on glucagon secretion when combined with ryanodine. We conclude that glucose regulates glucagon secretion through the control of ER Ca2+ mobilization, a mechanism that can be independent of α-cell electrical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Acreman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Physiology, Metabolic Research Unit, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 430, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jinfang Ma
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Geoffrey Denwood
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
| | - Rui Gao
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
| | - Andrei Tarasov
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
- Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Patrik Rorsman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Physiology, Metabolic Research Unit, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 430, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Quan Zhang
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, CIBB - Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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2
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Qian MF, Bevacqua RJ, Coykendall VM, Liu X, Zhao W, Chang CA, Gu X, Dai XQ, MacDonald PE, Kim SK. HNF1α maintains pancreatic α and β cell functions in primary human islets. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e170884. [PMID: 37943614 PMCID: PMC10807710 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.170884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
HNF1A haploinsufficiency underlies the most common form of human monogenic diabetes (HNF1A-maturity onset diabetes of the young [HNF1A-MODY]), and hypomorphic HNF1A variants confer type 2 diabetes risk. But a lack of experimental systems for interrogating mature human islets has limited our understanding of how the transcription factor HNF1α regulates adult islet function. Here, we combined conditional genetic targeting in human islet cells, RNA-Seq, chromatin mapping with cleavage under targets and release using nuclease (CUT&RUN), and transplantation-based assays to determine HNF1α-regulated mechanisms in adult human pancreatic α and β cells. Short hairpin RNA-mediated (shRNA-mediated) suppression of HNF1A in primary human pseudoislets led to blunted insulin output and dysregulated glucagon secretion after transplantation in mice, recapitulating phenotypes observed in patients with diabetes. These deficits corresponded with altered expression of genes encoding factors critical for hormone secretion, including calcium channel subunits, ATPase transporters, and extracellular matrix constituents. Additionally, HNF1A loss led to upregulation of transcriptional repressors, providing evidence for a mechanism of transcriptional derepression through HNF1α. CUT&RUN mapping of HNF1α DNA binding sites in primary human islets imputed a subset of HNF1α-regulated genes as direct targets. These data elucidate mechanistic links between HNF1A loss and diabetic phenotypes in mature human α and β cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mollie F. Qian
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Romina J. Bevacqua
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Vy M.N. Coykendall
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Xiong Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and
- Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Weichen Zhao
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Charles A. Chang
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Xueying Gu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Stanford Diabetes Research Center
| | - Xiao-Qing Dai
- Department of Pharmacology and
- Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Patrick E. MacDonald
- Department of Pharmacology and
- Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Seung K. Kim
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Stanford Diabetes Research Center
- Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics (Endocrinology), and
- Northern California JDRF Center of Excellence, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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3
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Armour SL, Frueh A, Chibalina MV, Dou H, Argemi-Muntadas L, Hamilton A, Katzilieris-Petras G, Carmeliet P, Davies B, Moritz T, Eliasson L, Rorsman P, Knudsen JG. Glucose Controls Glucagon Secretion by Regulating Fatty Acid Oxidation in Pancreatic α-Cells. Diabetes 2023; 72:1446-1459. [PMID: 37494670 PMCID: PMC10545563 DOI: 10.2337/db23-0056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Whole-body glucose homeostasis is coordinated through secretion of glucagon and insulin from pancreatic islets. When glucose is low, glucagon is released from α-cells to stimulate hepatic glucose production. However, the mechanisms that regulate glucagon secretion from pancreatic α-cells remain unclear. Here we show that in α-cells, the interaction between fatty acid oxidation and glucose metabolism controls glucagon secretion. The glucose-dependent inhibition of glucagon secretion relies on pyruvate dehydrogenase and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1a activity and lowering of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation by increases in glucose. This results in reduced intracellular ATP and leads to membrane repolarization and inhibition of glucagon secretion. These findings provide a new framework for the metabolic regulation of the α-cell, where regulation of fatty acid oxidation by glucose accounts for the stimulation and inhibition of glucagon secretion. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS It has become clear that dysregulation of glucagon secretion and α-cell function plays an important role in the development of diabetes, but we do not know how glucagon secretion is regulated. Here we asked whether glucose inhibits fatty acid oxidation in α-cells to regulate glucagon secretion. We found that fatty acid oxidation is required for the inhibitory effects of glucose on glucagon secretion through reductions in ATP. These findings provide a new framework for the regulation of glucagon secretion by glucose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Armour
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alexander Frueh
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Margarita V. Chibalina
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, U.K
| | - Haiqiang Dou
- Department of Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lidia Argemi-Muntadas
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alexander Hamilton
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Islet Cell Exocytosis, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Georgios Katzilieris-Petras
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Carmeliet
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Centre for Cancer Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Heterogeneity, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Benjamin Davies
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - Thomas Moritz
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lena Eliasson
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Islet Cell Exocytosis, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Patrik Rorsman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, U.K
- Department of Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jakob G. Knudsen
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Hamilton A, Eliasson L, Knudsen JG. Amino acids and the changing face of the α-cell. Peptides 2023:171039. [PMID: 37295651 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Glucagon has long been defined by its glucogenic action and as a result α-cells have been characterised based largely on their interaction with glucose. Recent findings have challenged this preconception, bringing to the fore the significant role glucagon plays in amino acid breakdown and underlining the importance of amino acids in glucagon secretion. The challenge that remains is defining the mechanism that underlie these effects - understanding which amino acids are most important, how they act on the α-cell and how their actions integrate with other fuels such as glucose and fatty acids. This review will describe the current relationship between amino acids and glucagon and how we can use this knowledge to redefine the α-cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Hamilton
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Islet Cell Exocytosis, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
| | - Lena Eliasson
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Islet Cell Exocytosis, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
| | - Jakob G Knudsen
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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5
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Abstract
Plasma glucose is tightly regulated via the secretion of the two glucose-regulating hormones insulin and glucagon. Situated next to the insulin-secreting β-cells, the α-cells produce and secrete glucagon-one of the body's few blood glucose-increasing hormones. Diabetes is a bihormonal disorder, resulting from both inadequate insulin secretion and dysregulation of glucagon. The year 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of glucagon, making it particularly timely to highlight the roles of this systemic metabolic messenger in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick E MacDonald
- Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Patrik Rorsman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Metabolic Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Göteborg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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6
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Singh B, Khattab F, Gilon P. Glucose inhibits glucagon secretion by decreasing [Ca2+]c and by reducing the efficacy of Ca2+ on exocytosis via somatostatin-dependent and independent mechanisms. Mol Metab 2022; 61:101495. [PMID: 35421610 PMCID: PMC9065434 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Methods Results Conclusions Glucose modulates [Ca2+]c in α-cells within islets but not in dispersed α-cells. In α-cells within islets, it decreases [Ca2+]c independently of their KATP channels. It decreases α-cell [Ca2+]c partly via somatostatin. All glucose-induced [Ca2+]c changes trigger parallel changes in glucagon release. Glucose also decreases the efficacy of Ca2+ on exocytosis (attenuating pathway).
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal Singh
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Firas Khattab
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Patrick Gilon
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium.
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7
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Armour SL, Frueh A, Knudsen JG. Sodium, Glucose and Dysregulated Glucagon Secretion: The Potential of Sodium Glucose Transporters. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:837664. [PMID: 35237171 PMCID: PMC8882857 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.837664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Diabetes is defined by hyperglycaemia due to progressive insulin resistance and compromised insulin release. In parallel, alpha cells develop dysregulation of glucagon secretion. Diabetic patients have insufficient glucagon secretion during hypoglycaemia and a lack of inhibition of glucagon secretion at higher blood glucose levels resulting in postprandial hyperglucagonaemia, which contributes to the development of hyperglycaemia. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are an efficient pharmacologic approach for the treatment of hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes. While SGLT2 inhibitors aim at increasing glycosuria to decrease blood glucose levels, these inhibitors also increase circulating glucagon concentrations. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of how SGLTs are involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion. Sodium plays an important role for alpha cell function, and a tight regulation of intracellular sodium levels is important for maintaining plasma membrane potential and intracellular pH. This involves the sodium-potassium pump, sodium-proton exchangers and SGLTs. While the expression of SGLT2 in alpha cells remains controversial, SGLT1 seems to play a central role for alpha cell function. Under hyperglycaemic conditions, SGLT1 mediated accumulation of sodium results in alpha cell dysregulation due to altered cellular acidification and ATP production. Taken together, this suggests that SGLT1 could be a promising, yet highly underappreciated drug target to restore alpha cell function and improve treatment of both type 1 and 2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jakob G. Knudsen
- Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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8
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Mourad NI, Xhema D, Gianello P. In vitro assessment of pancreatic hormone secretion from isolated porcine islets. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:935060. [PMID: 36034433 PMCID: PMC9402940 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.935060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential use of porcine islets for transplantation in humans has triggered interest in understanding porcine islet physiology. However, the number of studies dedicated to this topic has remained limited, as most islet physiologists prefer to use the less time-consuming rodent model or the more clinically relevant human islet. An often-overlooked aspect of pig islet physiology is its alpha cell activity and regulation of its glucagon secretion. In vitro islet perifusion is a reliable method to study the dynamics of hormone secretion in response to different stimuli. We thus used this method to quantify and study glucagon secretion from pig islets. Pancreatic islets were isolated from 20 neonatal (14 to 21-day old) and 5 adult (>2 years) pigs and cultured in appropriate media. Islet perifusion experiments were performed 8 to 10 days post-isolation for neonatal islets and 1 to 2 days post-isolation for adult islets. Insulin and glucagon were quantified in perifusion effluent fractions as well as in islet extracts by RIA. Increasing glucose concentration from 1 mM to 15 mM markedly inhibited glucagon secretion independently of animal age. Interestingly, the effect of high glucose was more drastic on glucagon secretion compared to its effect on insulin secretion. In vivo, glucose injection during IVGTT initiated a quick (2-10 minutes) 3-fold decrease of plasmatic glucagon whereas the increase of plasmatic insulin took 20 minutes to become significant. These results suggest that regulation of glucagon secretion significantly contributes to glucose homeostasis in pigs and might compensate for the mild changes in insulin secretion in response to changes in glucose concentration.
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9
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Asadi F, Dhanvantari S. Pathways of Glucagon Secretion and Trafficking in the Pancreatic Alpha Cell: Novel Pathways, Proteins, and Targets for Hyperglucagonemia. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:726368. [PMID: 34659118 PMCID: PMC8511682 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.726368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with diabetes mellitus exhibit hyperglucagonemia, or excess glucagon secretion, which may be the underlying cause of the hyperglycemia of diabetes. Defective alpha cell secretory responses to glucose and paracrine effectors in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes may drive the development of hyperglucagonemia. Therefore, uncovering the mechanisms that regulate glucagon secretion from the pancreatic alpha cell is critical for developing improved treatments for diabetes. In this review, we focus on aspects of alpha cell biology for possible mechanisms for alpha cell dysfunction in diabetes: proglucagon processing, intrinsic and paracrine control of glucagon secretion, secretory granule dynamics, and alterations in intracellular trafficking. We explore possible clues gleaned from these studies in how inhibition of glucagon secretion can be targeted as a treatment for diabetes mellitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzad Asadi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Program in Metabolism and Diabetes, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
| | - Savita Dhanvantari
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Program in Metabolism and Diabetes, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
- Imaging Research Program, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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10
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Kuhre RE, Deacon CF, Wewer Albrechtsen NJ, Holst JJ. Do sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors increase plasma glucagon by direct actions on the alpha cell? And does the increase matter for the associated increase in endogenous glucose production? Diabetes Obes Metab 2021; 23:2009-2019. [PMID: 33961344 DOI: 10.1111/dom.14422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) lower blood glucose and are used for treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, SGLT2is have been associated with increases in endogenous glucose production (EGP) by mechanisms that have been proposed to result from SGLT2i-mediated increases in circulating glucagon concentrations, but the relative importance of this effect is debated, and mechanisms possibly coupling SGLT2is to increased plasma glucagon are unclear. A direct effect on alpha-cell activity has been proposed, but data on alpha-cell SGLT2 expression are inconsistent, and studies investigating the direct effects of SGLT2 inhibition on glucagon secretion are conflicting. By contrast, alpha-cell sodium-glucose co-transporter-1 (SGLT1) expression has been found more consistently and appears to be more prominent, pointing to an underappreciated role for this transporter. Nevertheless, the selectivity of most SGLT2is does not support interference with SGLT1 during therapy. Paracrine effects mediated by secretion of glucagonotropic/static molecules from beta and/or delta cells have also been suggested to be involved in SGLT2i-induced increase in plasma glucagon, but studies are few and arrive at different conclusions. It is also possible that the effect on glucagon is secondary to drug-induced increases in urinary glucose excretion and lowering of blood glucose, as shown in experiments with glucose clamping where SGLT2i-associated increases in plasma glucagon are prevented. However, regardless of the mechanisms involved, the current balance of evidence does not support that SGLT2 plays a crucial role for alpha-cell physiology or that SGLT2i-induced glucagon secretion is important for the associated increased EGP, particularly because the increase in EGP occurs before any rise in plasma glucagon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rune E Kuhre
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Obesity Pharmacology, Novo Nordisk, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Carolyn F Deacon
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UK
| | - Nicolai J Wewer Albrechtsen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens J Holst
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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Wang Y, Liu Q, Kang SG, Huang K, Tong T. Dietary Bioactive Ingredients Modulating the cAMP Signaling in Diabetes Treatment. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13093038. [PMID: 34578916 PMCID: PMC8467569 DOI: 10.3390/nu13093038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
As the prevalence of diabetes increases progressively, research to develop new therapeutic approaches and the search for more bioactive compounds are attracting more attention. Over the past decades, studies have suggested that cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), the important intracellular second messenger, is a key regulator of metabolism and glucose homeostasis in diverse physiopathological states in multiple organs including the pancreas, liver, gut, skeletal muscle, adipose tissues, brain, and kidney. The multiple characteristics of dietary compounds and their favorable influence on diabetes pathogenesis, as well as their intersections with the cAMP signaling pathway, indicate that these compounds have a beneficial effect on the regulation of glucose homeostasis. In this review, we outline the current understanding of the diverse functions of cAMP in different organs involved in glucose homeostasis and show that a diversity of bioactive ingredients from foods activate or inhibit cAMP signaling, resulting in the improvement of the diabetic pathophysiological process. It aims to highlight the diabetes-preventative or -therapeutic potential of dietary bioactive ingredients targeting cAMP signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China;
| | - Qing Liu
- Jilin Green Food Engineering Research Institute, Changchun 130022, China;
| | - Seong-Gook Kang
- Department of Food Engineering, Mokpo National University, Muangun 58554, Korea;
| | - Kunlun Huang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China;
- Key Laboratory of Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified Organism (Food Safety), Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100083, China
- Correspondence: (K.H.); (T.T.)
| | - Tao Tong
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China;
- Correspondence: (K.H.); (T.T.)
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12
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Acreman S, Zhang Q. Regulation of α-cell glucagon secretion: The role of second messengers. Chronic Dis Transl Med 2021; 8:7-18. [PMID: 35620162 PMCID: PMC9128566 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdtm.2021.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucagon is a potent glucose‐elevating hormone that is secreted by pancreatic α‐cells. While well‐controlled glucagon secretion plays an important role in maintaining systemic glucose homeostasis and preventing hypoglycaemia, it is increasingly apparent that defects in the regulation of glucagon secretion contribute to impaired counter‐regulation and hyperglycaemia in diabetes. It has therefore been proposed that pharmacological interventions targeting glucagon secretion/signalling can have great potential in improving glycaemic control of patients with diabetes. However, despite decades of research, a consensus on the precise mechanisms of glucose regulation of glucagon secretion is yet to be reached. Second messengers are a group of small intracellular molecules that relay extracellular signals to the intracellular signalling cascade, modulating cellular functions. There is a growing body of evidence that second messengers, such as cAMP and Ca2+, play critical roles in α‐cell glucose‐sensing and glucagon secretion. In this review, we discuss the impact of second messengers on α‐cell electrical activity, intracellular Ca2+ dynamics and cell exocytosis. We highlight the possibility that the interaction between different second messengers may play a key role in the glucose‐regulation of glucagon secretion.
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13
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Ng XW, Chung YH, Piston DW. Intercellular Communication in the Islet of Langerhans in Health and Disease. Compr Physiol 2021; 11:2191-2225. [PMID: 34190340 PMCID: PMC8985231 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c200026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Blood glucose homeostasis requires proper function of pancreatic islets, which secrete insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin from the β-, α-, and δ-cells, respectively. Each islet cell type is equipped with intrinsic mechanisms for glucose sensing and secretory actions, but these intrinsic mechanisms alone cannot explain the observed secretory profiles from intact islets. Regulation of secretion involves interconnected mechanisms among and between islet cell types. Islet cells lose their normal functional signatures and secretory behaviors upon dispersal as compared to intact islets and in vivo. In dispersed islet cells, the glucose response of insulin secretion is attenuated from that seen from whole islets, coordinated oscillations in membrane potential and intracellular Ca2+ activity, as well as the two-phase insulin secretion profile, are missing, and glucagon secretion displays higher basal secretion profile and a reverse glucose-dependent response from that of intact islets. These observations highlight the critical roles of intercellular communication within the pancreatic islet, and how these communication pathways are crucial for proper hormonal and nonhormonal secretion and glucose homeostasis. Further, misregulated secretions of islet secretory products that arise from defective intercellular islet communication are implicated in diabetes. Intercellular communication within the islet environment comprises multiple mechanisms, including electrical synapses from gap junctional coupling, paracrine interactions among neighboring cells, and direct cell-to-cell contacts in the form of juxtacrine signaling. In this article, we describe the various mechanisms that contribute to proper islet function for each islet cell type and how intercellular islet communications are coordinated among the same and different islet cell types. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:2191-2225, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue W Ng
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yong H Chung
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - David W Piston
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
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14
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Singh B, Khattab F, Chae H, Desmet L, Herrera PL, Gilon P. K ATP channel blockers control glucagon secretion by distinct mechanisms: A direct stimulation of α-cells involving a [Ca 2+] c rise and an indirect inhibition mediated by somatostatin. Mol Metab 2021; 53:101268. [PMID: 34118477 PMCID: PMC8274344 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2021.101268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Glucagon is secreted by pancreatic α-cells in response to hypoglycemia and its hyperglycemic effect helps to restore normal blood glucose. Insulin and somatostatin (SST) secretions from β- and δ-cells, respectively, are stimulated by glucose by mechanisms involving an inhibition of their ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels, leading to an increase in [Ca2+]c that triggers exocytosis. Drugs that close KATP channels, such as sulfonylureas, are used to stimulate insulin release in type 2 diabetic patients. α-cells also express KATP channels. However, the mechanisms by which sulfonylureas control glucagon secretion are still largely debated and were addressed in the present study. In particular, we studied the effects of KATP channel blockers on α-cell [Ca2+]c and glucagon secretion in the presence of a low (1 mM) or a high (15 mM) glucose concentration and evaluated the role of SST in these effects. Methods Using a transgenic mouse model expressing the Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent protein, GCaMP6f, specifically in α-cells, we measured [Ca2+]c in α-cells either dispersed or within whole islets (by confocal microscopy). By measuring [Ca2+]c in α-cells within islets and glucagon secretion using the same perifusion protocols, we tested whether glucagon secretion correlated with changes in [Ca2+]c in response to sulfonylureas. We studied the role of SST in the effects of sulfonylureas using multiple approaches including genetic ablation of SST, or application of SST-14 and SST receptor antagonists. Results Application of the sulfonylureas, tolbutamide, or gliclazide, to a medium containing 1 mM or 15 mM glucose increased [Ca2+]c in α-cells by a direct effect as in β-cells. At low glucose, sulfonylureas inhibited glucagon secretion of islets despite the rise in α-cell [Ca2+]c that they triggered. This glucagonostatic effect was indirect and attributed to SST because, in the islets of SST-knockout mice, sulfonylureas induced a stimulation of glucagon secretion which correlated with an increase in α-cell [Ca2+]c. Experiments with exogenous SST-14 and SST receptor antagonists indicated that the glucagonostatic effect of sulfonylureas mainly resulted from an inhibition of the efficacy of cytosolic Ca2+ on exocytosis. Although SST-14 was also able to inhibit glucagon secretion by decreasing α-cell [Ca2+]c, no decrease in [Ca2+]c occurred during sulfonylurea application because it was largely counterbalanced by the direct stimulatory effect of these drugs on α-cell [Ca2+]c. At high glucose, i.e., in conditions where glucagon release was already low, sulfonylureas stimulated glucagon secretion because their direct stimulatory effect on α-cells exceeded the indirect effect by SST. Our results also indicated that, unexpectedly, SST-14 poorly decreased the efficacy of Ca2+ on exocytosis in β-cells. Conclusions Sulfonylureas exert two opposite actions on α-cells: a direct stimulation as in β-cells and an indirect inhibition by SST. This suggests that any alteration of SST paracrine influence, as described in diabetes, will modify the effect of sulfonylureas on glucagon release. In addition, we suggest that δ-cells inhibit α-cells more efficiently than β-cells. KATP channel blockers control glucagon secretion by two mechanisms. The first one is the direct stimulation of α-cell by a [Ca2+]c rise, as in β-cells. The second one is an indirect inhibition mediated by δ-cells releasing somatostatin. Somatostatin mainly reduces the efficacy of Ca2+ on exocytosis in α-cells. Somatostatin more potently inhibits glucagon than insulin secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal Singh
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Firas Khattab
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Heeyoung Chae
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lieven Desmet
- Université Catholique de Louvain, SMCS, Louvain Institute of Data Analysis and Modeling in economics and statistics, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Pedro L Herrera
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Gilon
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Brussels, Belgium.
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15
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Viloria K, Hewison M, Hodson DJ. Vitamin D binding protein/GC-globulin: a novel regulator of alpha cell function and glucagon secretion. J Physiol 2021; 600:1119-1133. [PMID: 33719063 DOI: 10.1113/jp280890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The contribution of glucagon to type 1 and type 2 diabetes has long been known, but the underlying defects in alpha cell function are not well-described. During both disease states, alpha cells respond inappropriately to stimuli, leading to dysregulated glucagon secretion, impaired glucose tolerance and hypoglycaemia. The mechanisms involved in this dysfunction are complex, but possibly include changes in alpha cell glucose-sensing, alpha cell de-differentiation, paracrine feedback, as well as alpha cell mass. However, the molecular underpinnings of alpha cell failure are still poorly understood. Recent transcriptomic analyses have identified vitamin D binding protein (DBP), encoded by GC/Gc, as an alpha cell signature gene. DBP is highly localized to the liver and alpha cells and is virtually absent from other tissues and cell types under non-pathological conditions. While the vitamin D transportation role of DBP is well characterized in the liver and circulation, its function in alpha cells remains more enigmatic. Recent work reveals that loss of DBP leads to smaller and hyperplastic alpha cells, which secrete less glucagon in response to low glucose concentration, despite vitamin D sufficiency. Alpha cells lacking DBP display impaired Ca2+ fluxes and Na+ conductance, as well as changes in glucagon granule distribution. Underlying these defects is an increase in the ratio of cytoskeletal F-actin to G-actin, highlighting a novel intracellular actin scavenging role for DBP in islets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Viloria
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Martin Hewison
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - David J Hodson
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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16
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Reduced somatostatin signalling leads to hypersecretion of glucagon in mice fed a high-fat diet. Mol Metab 2020; 40:101021. [PMID: 32446876 PMCID: PMC7322681 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Elevated plasma glucagon is an early symptom of diabetes, occurring in subjects with impaired glucose regulation. Here, we explored alpha-cell function in female mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods Female mice expressing the Ca2+ indicator GCaMP3 specifically in alpha-cells were fed a high-fat or control (CTL) diet. We then conducted in vivo phenotyping of these mice, as well as experiments on isolated (ex vivo) islets and in the in situ perfused pancreas. Results In HFD-fed mice, fed plasma glucagon levels were increased and glucagon secretion from isolated islets and in the perfused mouse pancreas was also elevated. In mice fed a CTL diet, increasing glucose reduced intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) oscillation frequency and amplitude. This effect was also observed in HFD mice; however, both the frequency and amplitude of the [Ca2+]i oscillations were higher than those in CTL alpha-cells. Given that alpha-cells are under strong paracrine control from neighbouring somatostatin-secreting delta-cells, we hypothesised that this elevation of alpha-cell output was due to a lack of somatostatin (SST) secretion. Indeed, SST secretion in isolated islets from HFD-fed mice was reduced but exogenous SST also failed to suppress glucagon secretion and [Ca2+]i activity from HFD alpha-cells, in contrast to observations in CTL mice. Conclusions These findings suggest that reduced delta-cell function, combined with intrinsic changes in alpha-cells including sensitivity to somatostatin, accounts for the hyperglucagonaemia in mice fed a HFD. HFD feeding causes hyperglucagonaemia in vivo. Glucagon is inadequately suppressed by glucose in HFD-fed mice. Alpha-cell [Ca2+]i oscillations and glucagon output are elevated ex vivo in response to HFD feeding. SST secretion from HFD islets is reduced. Alpha-cells from HFD-fed mice become ‘resistant’ to SST.
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17
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Omar-Hmeadi M, Lund PE, Gandasi NR, Tengholm A, Barg S. Paracrine control of α-cell glucagon exocytosis is compromised in human type-2 diabetes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1896. [PMID: 32312960 PMCID: PMC7171169 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15717-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucagon is released from pancreatic α-cells to activate pathways that raise blood glucose. Its secretion is regulated by α-cell-intrinsic glucose sensing and paracrine control through insulin and somatostatin. To understand the inadequately high glucagon levels that contribute to hyperglycemia in type-2 diabetes (T2D), we analyzed granule behavior, exocytosis and membrane excitability in α-cells of 68 non-diabetic and 21 T2D human donors. We report that exocytosis is moderately reduced in α-cells of T2D donors, without changes in voltage-dependent ion currents or granule trafficking. Dispersed α-cells have a non-physiological V-shaped dose response to glucose, with maximal exocytosis at hyperglycemia. Within intact islets, hyperglycemia instead inhibits α-cell exocytosis, but not in T2D or when paracrine inhibition by insulin or somatostatin is blocked. Surface expression of somatostatin-receptor-2 is reduced in T2D, suggesting a mechanism for the observed somatostatin resistance. Thus, elevated glucagon in human T2D may reflect α-cell insensitivity to paracrine inhibition at hyperglycemia. Glucagon is elevated Type-2 diabetes, which contributes to poor glucose control in patients with the disease. Here the authors report that secretion of the hormone is controlled by paracrine inhibition, and that resistance of α-cells to somatostatin can explain hyperglucagonemia in type-2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhmmad Omar-Hmeadi
- Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Box 571, BMC, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Per-Eric Lund
- Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Box 571, BMC, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nikhil R Gandasi
- Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Box 571, BMC, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Tengholm
- Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Box 571, BMC, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Barg
- Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Box 571, BMC, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
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18
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Grubelnik V, Zmazek J, Markovič R, Gosak M, Marhl M. Modelling of energy-driven switch for glucagon and insulin secretion. J Theor Biol 2020; 493:110213. [PMID: 32109481 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
We present a mathematical model of the energy-driven metabolic switch for glucagon and insulin secretion from pancreatic alpha and beta cells, respectively. The energy status related to hormone secretion is studied for various glucose concentrations. Additionally, the physiological response is studied with regards to the presence of other metabolites, particularly the free-fatty acids. At low glucose, the ATP production in alpha cells is high due to free-fatty acids oxidation in mitochondria, which enables glucagon secretion. When the glucose concentration is elevated above the threshold value, the glucagon secretion is switched off due to the contribution of glycolytic ATP production, representing an "anaerobic switch". On the other hand, during hypoglycemia, the ATP production in beta cells is low, reflecting a "waiting state" for glucose as the main metabolite. When glucose is elevated above the threshold value, the oxidative fate of glucose in mitochondria is the main source of energy required for effective insulin secretion, i.e. the "aerobic switch". Our results show the importance of well-regulated and fine-tuned energetic processes in pancreatic alpha and beta cells required for efficient hormone secretion and hence effective blood glucose regulation. These energetic processes have to be appropriately switched on and off based on the sensing of different metabolites by alpha and beta cells. Our computational results indicate that disturbances in cell energetics (e.g. mitochondrial dysfunction), and dysfunctional metabolite sensing and distribution throughout the cell might be related to pathologies such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Grubelnik
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia
| | - Jan Zmazek
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia
| | - Rene Markovič
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia
| | - Marko Gosak
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia
| | - Marko Marhl
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia; Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, Maribor SI-2000, Slovenia.
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19
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Zhang IX, Raghavan M, Satin LS. The Endoplasmic Reticulum and Calcium Homeostasis in Pancreatic Beta Cells. Endocrinology 2020; 161:bqz028. [PMID: 31796960 PMCID: PMC7028010 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqz028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) mediates the first steps of protein assembly within the secretory pathway and is the site where protein folding and quality control are initiated. The storage and release of Ca2+ are critical physiological functions of the ER. Disrupted ER homeostasis activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), a pathway which attempts to restore cellular equilibrium in the face of ER stress. Unremitting ER stress, and insufficient compensation for it results in beta-cell apoptosis, a process that has been linked to both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Both types are characterized by progressive beta-cell failure and a loss of beta-cell mass, although the underlying causes are different. The reduction of mass occurs secondary to apoptosis in the case of T2D, while beta cells undergo autoimmune destruction in T1D. In this review, we examine recent findings that link the UPR pathway and ER Ca2+ to beta cell dysfunction. We also discuss how UPR activation in beta cells favors cell survival versus apoptosis and death, and how ER protein chaperones are involved in regulating ER Ca2+ levels. Abbreviations: BiP, Binding immunoglobulin Protein ER; endoplasmic reticulum; ERAD, ER-associated protein degradation; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; KHE, proton-K+ exchanger; MODY, maturity-onset diabetes of young; PERK, PRKR-like ER kinase; SERCA, Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPases; T1D, type 1 diabetes; T2D, type 2 diabetes; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; UPR, unfolded protein response; WRS, Wolcott-Rallison syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina X Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Brehm Diabetes Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Malini Raghavan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Leslie S Satin
- Department of Pharmacology and Brehm Diabetes Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
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20
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Wendt A, Eliasson L. Pancreatic α-cells - The unsung heroes in islet function. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 103:41-50. [PMID: 31983511 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The pancreatic islets of Langerhans consist of several hormone-secreting cell types important for blood glucose control. The insulin secreting β-cells are the best studied of these cell types, but less is known about the glucagon secreting α-cells. The α-cells secrete glucagon as a response to low blood glucose. The major function of glucagon is to release glucose from the glycogen stores in the liver. In both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, glucagon secretion is dysregulated further exaggerating the hyperglycaemia, and in type 1 diabetes α-cells fail to counter regulate hypoglycaemia. Although glucagon has been recognized for almost 100 years, the understanding of how glucagon secretion is regulated and how glucagon act within the islet is far from complete. However, α-cell research has taken off lately which is promising for future knowledge. In this review we aim to highlight α-cell regulation and glucagon secretion with a special focus on recent discoveries from human islets. We will present some novel aspects of glucagon function and effects of selected glucose lowering agents on glucagon secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Wendt
- Islet Cell Exocytosis, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Clinical Research Centre, SUS, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Lena Eliasson
- Islet Cell Exocytosis, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Clinical Research Centre, SUS, Malmö, Sweden.
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21
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Gilon P. The Role of α-Cells in Islet Function and Glucose Homeostasis in Health and Type 2 Diabetes. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:1367-1394. [PMID: 31954131 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic α-cells are the major source of glucagon, a hormone that counteracts the hypoglycemic action of insulin and strongly contributes to the correction of acute hypoglycemia. The mechanisms by which glucose controls glucagon secretion are hotly debated, and it is still unclear to what extent this control results from a direct action of glucose on α-cells or is indirectly mediated by β- and/or δ-cells. Besides its hyperglycemic action, glucagon has many other effects, in particular on lipid and amino acid metabolism. Counterintuitively, glucagon seems also required for an optimal insulin secretion in response to glucose by acting on its cognate receptor and, even more importantly, on GLP-1 receptors. Patients with diabetes mellitus display two main alterations of glucagon secretion: a relative hyperglucagonemia that aggravates hyperglycemia, and an impaired glucagon response to hypoglycemia. Under metabolic stress states, such as diabetes, pancreatic α-cells also secrete GLP-1, a glucose-lowering hormone, whereas the gut can produce glucagon. The contribution of extrapancreatic glucagon to the abnormal glucose homeostasis is unclear. Here, I review the possible mechanisms of control of glucagon secretion and the role of α-cells on islet function in healthy state. I discuss the possible causes of the abnormal glucagonemia in diabetes, with particular emphasis on type 2 diabetes, and I briefly comment the current antidiabetic therapies affecting α-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Gilon
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Pole of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Avenue Hippocrate 55 (B1.55.06), Brussels, B-1200, Belgium.
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22
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Grubelnik V, Markovič R, Lipovšek S, Leitinger G, Gosak M, Dolenšek J, Valladolid-Acebes I, Berggren PO, Stožer A, Perc M, Marhl M. Modelling of dysregulated glucagon secretion in type 2 diabetes by considering mitochondrial alterations in pancreatic α-cells. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191171. [PMID: 32218947 PMCID: PMC7029933 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been associated with insulin resistance and the failure of β-cells to produce and secrete enough insulin as the disease progresses. However, clinical treatments based solely on insulin secretion and action have had limited success. The focus is therefore shifting towards α-cells, in particular to the dysregulated secretion of glucagon. Our qualitative electron-microscopy-based observations gave an indication that mitochondria in α-cells are altered in Western-diet-induced T2DM. In particular, α-cells extracted from mouse pancreatic tissue showed a lower density of mitochondria, a less expressed matrix and a lower number of cristae. These deformities in mitochondrial ultrastructure imply a decreased efficiency in mitochondrial ATP production, which prompted us to theoretically explore and clarify one of the most challenging problems associated with T2DM, namely the lack of glucagon secretion in hypoglycaemia and its oversecretion at high blood glucose concentrations. To this purpose, we constructed a novel computational model that links α-cell metabolism with their electrical activity and glucagon secretion. Our results show that defective mitochondrial metabolism in α-cells can account for dysregulated glucagon secretion in T2DM, thus improving our understanding of T2DM pathophysiology and indicating possibilities for new clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Grubelnik
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Rene Markovič
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Saška Lipovšek
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signaling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstrasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Gerd Leitinger
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signaling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstrasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Marko Gosak
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Ismael Valladolid-Acebes
- The Rolf Luft Research Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital L1, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per-Olof Berggren
- The Rolf Luft Research Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital L1, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Perc
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, 1080 Vienna, Austria
- Authors for correspondence: Matjač Perc e-mail:
| | - Marko Marhl
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Authors for correspondence: Marko Marhl e-mail:
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23
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Grubelnik V, Markovič R, Lipovšek S, Leitinger G, Gosak M, Dolenšek J, Valladolid-Acebes I, Berggren PO, Stožer A, Perc M, Marhl M. Modelling of dysregulated glucagon secretion in type 2 diabetes by considering mitochondrial alterations in pancreatic α-cells. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020. [PMID: 32218947 DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9n2k1vk] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been associated with insulin resistance and the failure of β-cells to produce and secrete enough insulin as the disease progresses. However, clinical treatments based solely on insulin secretion and action have had limited success. The focus is therefore shifting towards α-cells, in particular to the dysregulated secretion of glucagon. Our qualitative electron-microscopy-based observations gave an indication that mitochondria in α-cells are altered in Western-diet-induced T2DM. In particular, α-cells extracted from mouse pancreatic tissue showed a lower density of mitochondria, a less expressed matrix and a lower number of cristae. These deformities in mitochondrial ultrastructure imply a decreased efficiency in mitochondrial ATP production, which prompted us to theoretically explore and clarify one of the most challenging problems associated with T2DM, namely the lack of glucagon secretion in hypoglycaemia and its oversecretion at high blood glucose concentrations. To this purpose, we constructed a novel computational model that links α-cell metabolism with their electrical activity and glucagon secretion. Our results show that defective mitochondrial metabolism in α-cells can account for dysregulated glucagon secretion in T2DM, thus improving our understanding of T2DM pathophysiology and indicating possibilities for new clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Grubelnik
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Rene Markovič
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Saška Lipovšek
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signaling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstrasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Gerd Leitinger
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signaling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstrasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Marko Gosak
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Ismael Valladolid-Acebes
- The Rolf Luft Research Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital L1, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per-Olof Berggren
- The Rolf Luft Research Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital L1, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Perc
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, 1080 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marko Marhl
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
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24
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Montefusco F, Cortese G, Pedersen MG. Heterogeneous alpha-cell population modeling of glucose-induced inhibition of electrical activity. J Theor Biol 2019; 485:110036. [PMID: 31585105 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2019.110036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Glucagon release from the pancreatic alpha-cells is regulated by glucose, but the underlying mechanisms are far from understood. It is known that the alpha-cell population is very heterogeneous, but - compared to the insulin-secreting beta-cells - the consequences of this cell-to-cell variation are much less studied. Since the alpha-cells are not electrically coupled, large differences in the single cell responses are to be expected, and this variation may contribute to the confusion regarding the mechanisms of glucose-induced suppression of glucagon release. Using mathematical modeling of alpha-cells with realistic cell-to-cell parameter variation based on recent experimental results, we show that the simulated alpha-cells exhibit great diversity in their electrophysiological behavior. To robustly reproduce experimental recordings from alpha-cell exposed to a rise in glucose levels, we must assume that both intrinsic mechanisms and paracrine signals contribute to glucose-induced changes in electrical activity. Our simulations suggest that the sum of different electrophysiological responses due to alpha-cell heterogeneity is involved in glucose-suppressed glucagon secretion, and that more than one mechanism contribute to control the alpha-cell populations' behavior. Finally, we apply regression analysis to our synthetic alpha-cell population to infer which membrane currents influence electrical activity in alpha-cells at different glucose levels. The results from such statistical modeling suggest possible disturbances underlying defect regulation of alpha-cell electrical behavior in diabetics. Thus, although alpha-cells appear to be inherently complex and heterogeneous as reflected in published data, realistic modeling of the alpha-cells at the population level provides insight into the mechanisms of glucagon release.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giuliana Cortese
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Morten G Pedersen
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Department of Mathematics "Tullio Levi-Civita", University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
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25
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Current therapeutic strategies for type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rely on increasing or substituting endogenous insulin secretion in combination with lifestyle changes. β-cell regeneration, a process whereby new β-cells arise from progenitors, self-renewal or transdifferentiation, has the potential to become a viable route to insulin self-sufficiency. Current regeneration strategies capture many of the transcriptomic and protein features of native β-cells, generating cells capable of glucose-dependent insulin secretion in vitro and alleviation of hyperglycemia in vivo. However, whether novel β-cells display appreciable heterogeneity remains poorly understood, with potential consequences for long-term functional robustness. SCOPE OF REVIEW The review brings together crucial discoveries in the β-cell regeneration field with state-of-the-art knowledge regarding β-cell heterogeneity. Aspects that might aid production of longer-lasting and more plastic regenerated β-cells are highlighted and discussed. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS Different β-cell regeneration approaches result in a similar outcome: glucose-sensitive, insulin-positive cells that mimic the native β-cell phenotype but which lack normal plasticity. The β-cell subpopulations identified to date expand our understanding of β-cell survival, proliferation and function, signposting the direction for future regeneration strategies. Therefore, regenerated β-cells should exhibit stimulus-dependent differences in gene and protein expression, as well as establish a functional network with different β-cells, all while coexisting with other cell types on a three-dimensional platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Nasteska
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
| | - Katrina Viloria
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lewis Everett
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
| | - David J Hodson
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK.
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26
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Tengholm A. Cyclic AMP links glucose stimulation to somatostatin secretion in δ-cells. J Gen Physiol 2019; 151:1062-1065. [PMID: 31413066 PMCID: PMC6719405 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201912417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tengholm reflects on new work providing insight into the mechanisms of glucose-stimulated somatostatin secretion from δ-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Tengholm
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University
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27
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Tudurí E, Glavas MM, Asadi A, Baker RK, Ellis CE, Soukhatcheva G, Philit M, Huynh FK, Johnson JD, Bruce Verchere C, Kieffer TJ. AAV GCG-EGFP, a new tool to identify glucagon-secreting α-cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10829. [PMID: 31346189 PMCID: PMC6658537 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46735-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of primary glucagon-secreting α-cells is hampered by their low abundance and scattered distribution in rodent pancreatic islets. We have designed a double-stranded adeno-associated virus containing a rat proglucagon promoter (700 bp) driving enhanced green fluorescent protein (AAV GCG-EGFP), to specifically identify α-cells. The administration of AAV GCG-EGFP by intraperitoneal or intraductal injection led to EGFP expression selectively in the α-cell population. AAV GCG-EGFP delivery to mice followed by islet isolation, dispersion and separation by FACS for EGFP resulted in an 86% pure population of α-cells. Furthermore, the administration of AAV GCG-EGFP at various doses to adult wild type mice did not significantly alter body weight, blood glucose, plasma insulin or glucagon levels, glucose tolerance or arginine tolerance. In vitro experiments in transgene positive α-cells demonstrated that EGFP expression did not alter the intracellular Ca2+ pattern in response to glucose or adrenaline. This approach may be useful for studying purified primary α-cells and for the in vivo delivery of other genes selectively to α-cells to further probe their function or to manipulate them for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Tudurí
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE), Elche, Spain
| | - Maria M Glavas
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ali Asadi
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robert K Baker
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Cara E Ellis
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Galina Soukhatcheva
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marjolaine Philit
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Frank K Huynh
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - James D Johnson
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C Bruce Verchere
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Timothy J Kieffer
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. .,Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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28
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Yu Q, Shuai H, Ahooghalandari P, Gylfe E, Tengholm A. Glucose controls glucagon secretion by directly modulating cAMP in alpha cells. Diabetologia 2019; 62:1212-1224. [PMID: 30953108 PMCID: PMC6560012 DOI: 10.1007/s00125-019-4857-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS Glucagon is critical for normal glucose homeostasis and aberrant secretion of the hormone aggravates dysregulated glucose control in diabetes. However, the mechanisms by which glucose controls glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha cells remain elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the intracellular messenger cAMP in alpha-cell-intrinsic glucose regulation of glucagon release. METHODS Subplasmalemmal cAMP and Ca2+ concentrations were recorded in isolated and islet-located alpha cells using fluorescent reporters and total internal reflection microscopy. Glucagon secretion from mouse islets was measured using ELISA. RESULTS Glucose induced Ca2+-independent alterations of the subplasmalemmal cAMP concentration in alpha cells that correlated with changes in glucagon release. Glucose-lowering-induced stimulation of glucagon secretion thus corresponded to an elevation in cAMP that was independent of paracrine signalling from insulin or somatostatin. Imposed cAMP elevations stimulated glucagon secretion and abolished inhibition by glucose elevation, while protein kinase A inhibition mimicked glucose suppression of glucagon release. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION Glucose concentrations in the hypoglycaemic range control glucagon secretion by directly modulating the cAMP concentration in alpha cells independently of paracrine influences. These findings define a novel mechanism for glucose regulation of glucagon release that underlies recovery from hypoglycaemia and may be disturbed in diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Yu
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hongyan Shuai
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Parvin Ahooghalandari
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik Gylfe
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Tengholm
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala University, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
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29
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Huising MO, van der Meulen T, Huang JL, Pourhosseinzadeh MS, Noguchi GM. The Difference δ-Cells Make in Glucose Control. Physiology (Bethesda) 2018; 33:403-411. [PMID: 30303773 PMCID: PMC6347098 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00029.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of beta and α-cells to glucose control are established, but the physiological role of δ-cells is poorly understood. Delta-cells are ideally positioned within pancreatic islets to modulate insulin and glucagon secretion at their source. We review the evidence for a negative feedback loop between delta and β-cells that determines the blood glucose set point and suggest that local δ-cell-mediated feedback stabilizes glycemic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark O Huising
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California , Davis, California
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, School of Medicine, University of California , Davis, California
| | - Talitha van der Meulen
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California , Davis, California
| | - Jessica L Huang
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California , Davis, California
| | - Mohammad S Pourhosseinzadeh
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California , Davis, California
| | - Glyn M Noguchi
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California , Davis, California
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30
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Hughes JW, Ustione A, Lavagnino Z, Piston DW. Regulation of islet glucagon secretion: Beyond calcium. Diabetes Obes Metab 2018; 20 Suppl 2:127-136. [PMID: 30230183 PMCID: PMC6148361 DOI: 10.1111/dom.13381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The islet of Langerhans plays a key role in glucose homeostasis through regulated secretion of the hormones insulin and glucagon. Islet research has focused on the insulin-secreting β-cells, even though aberrant glucagon secretion from α-cells also contributes to the aetiology of diabetes. Despite its importance, the mechanisms controlling glucagon secretion remain controversial. Proper α-cell function requires the islet milieu, where β- and δ-cells drive and constrain α-cell dynamics. The response of glucagon to glucose is similar between isolated islets and that measured in vivo, so it appears that the glucose dependence requires only islet-intrinsic factors and not input from blood flow or the nervous system. Elevated intracellular free Ca2+ is needed for α-cell exocytosis, but interpreting Ca2+ data is tricky since it is heterogeneous among α-cells at all physiological glucose levels. Total Ca2+ activity in α-cells increases slightly with glucose, so Ca2+ may serve a permissive, rather than regulatory, role in glucagon secretion. On the other hand, cAMP is a more promising candidate for controlling glucagon secretion and is itself driven by paracrine signalling from β- and δ-cells. Another pathway, juxtacrine signalling through the α-cell EphA receptors, stimulated by β-cell ephrin ligands, leads to a tonic inhibition of glucagon secretion. We discuss potential combinations of Ca2+ , cAMP, paracrine and juxtacrine factors in the regulation of glucagon secretion, focusing on recent data in the literature that might unify the field towards a quantitative understanding of α-cell function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing W. Hughes
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Alessandro Ustione
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Zeno Lavagnino
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - David W. Piston
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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31
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Hamilton A, Zhang Q, Salehi A, Willems M, Knudsen JG, Ringgaard AK, Chapman CE, Gonzalez-Alvarez A, Surdo NC, Zaccolo M, Basco D, Johnson PRV, Ramracheya R, Rutter GA, Galione A, Rorsman P, Tarasov AI. Adrenaline Stimulates Glucagon Secretion by Tpc2-Dependent Ca 2+ Mobilization From Acidic Stores in Pancreatic α-Cells. Diabetes 2018; 67:1128-1139. [PMID: 29563152 PMCID: PMC6258900 DOI: 10.2337/db17-1102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Adrenaline is a powerful stimulus of glucagon secretion. It acts by activation of β-adrenergic receptors, but the downstream mechanisms have only been partially elucidated. Here, we have examined the effects of adrenaline in mouse and human α-cells by a combination of electrophysiology, imaging of Ca2+ and PKA activity, and hormone release measurements. We found that stimulation of glucagon secretion correlated with a PKA- and EPAC2-dependent (inhibited by PKI and ESI-05, respectively) elevation of [Ca2+]i in α-cells, which occurred without stimulation of electrical activity and persisted in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ but was sensitive to ryanodine, bafilomycin, and thapsigargin. Adrenaline also increased [Ca2+]i in α-cells in human islets. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the Tpc2 channel (that mediates Ca2+ release from acidic intracellular stores) abolished the stimulatory effect of adrenaline on glucagon secretion and reduced the elevation of [Ca2+]i Furthermore, in Tpc2-deficient islets, ryanodine exerted no additive inhibitory effect. These data suggest that β-adrenergic stimulation of glucagon secretion is controlled by a hierarchy of [Ca2+]i signaling in the α-cell that is initiated by cAMP-induced Tpc2-dependent Ca2+ release from the acidic stores and further amplified by Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release from the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Hamilton
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
| | - Quan Zhang
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
| | - Albert Salehi
- Institute of Neuroscience of Physiology, Department of Physiology, Metabolic Research Unit, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Mara Willems
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
| | - Jakob G Knudsen
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
| | - Anna K Ringgaard
- Diabetes Research, Department of Stem Cell Biology, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Caroline E Chapman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
| | - Alejandro Gonzalez-Alvarez
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
| | - Nicoletta C Surdo
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - Manuela Zaccolo
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - Davide Basco
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Paul R V Johnson
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research, Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, U.K
| | - Reshma Ramracheya
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K
| | - Guy A Rutter
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Antony Galione
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - Patrik Rorsman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K.
- Institute of Neuroscience of Physiology, Department of Physiology, Metabolic Research Unit, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research, Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, U.K
| | - Andrei I Tarasov
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Headington, U.K.
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research, Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, U.K
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32
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Abstract
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by selective loss of beta cells and insulin secretion, which significantly impact glucose homeostasis. However, this progressive disease is also associated with dysfunction of the alpha cell component of the islet, which can exacerbate hyperglycemia due to paradoxical hyperglucagonemia or lead to severe hypoglycemia as a result of failed counterregulation. In this review, the physiology of alpha cell secretion and the potential mechanisms underlying alpha cell dysfunction in type 1 diabetes will be explored. Because type 1 diabetes is a progressive disease, a synthesized timeline of aberrant alpha cell function will be presented as an attempt to delineate the natural history of type 1 diabetes with respect to the alpha cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina L C Yosten
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, 1402 S. Grand Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63104, United States.
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33
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Tengholm A, Gylfe E. cAMP signalling in insulin and glucagon secretion. Diabetes Obes Metab 2017; 19 Suppl 1:42-53. [PMID: 28466587 DOI: 10.1111/dom.12993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The "second messenger" archetype cAMP is one of the most important cellular signalling molecules with central functions including the regulation of insulin and glucagon secretion from the pancreatic β- and α-cells, respectively. cAMP is generally considered as an amplifier of insulin secretion triggered by Ca2+ elevation in the β-cells. Both messengers are also positive modulators of glucagon release from α-cells, but in this case cAMP may be the important regulator and Ca2+ have a more permissive role. The actions of cAMP are mediated by protein kinase A (PKA) and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Epac. The present review focuses on how cAMP is regulated by nutrients, hormones and neural factors in β- and α-cells via adenylyl cyclase-catalysed generation and phosphodiesterase-mediated degradation. We will also discuss how PKA and Epac affect ion fluxes and the secretory machinery to transduce the stimulatory effects on insulin and glucagon secretion. Finally, we will briefly describe disturbances of the cAMP system associated with diabetes and how cAMP signalling can be targeted to normalize hypo- and hypersecretion of insulin and glucagon, respectively, in diabetic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Tengholm
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik Gylfe
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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34
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CFTR is involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion in human and rodent alpha cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:90. [PMID: 28273890 PMCID: PMC5428348 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00098-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucagon is the main counterregulatory hormone in the body. Still, the mechanism involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha cells remains elusive. Dysregulated glucagon secretion is common in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) that develop CF related diabetes (CFRD). CF is caused by a mutation in the Cl- channel Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), but whether CFTR is present in human alpha cells and regulate glucagon secretion has not been investigated in detail. Here, both human and mouse alpha cells showed CFTR protein expression, whereas CFTR was absent in somatostatin secreting delta cells. CFTR-current activity induced by cAMP was measured in single alpha cells. Glucagon secretion at different glucose levels and in the presence of forskolin was increased by CFTR-inhibition in human islets, whereas depolarization-induced glucagon secretion was unaffected. CFTR is suggested to mainly regulate the membrane potential through an intrinsic alpha cell effect, as supported by a mathematical model of alpha cell electrophysiology. In conclusion, CFTR channels are present in alpha cells and act as important negative regulators of cAMP-enhanced glucagon secretion through effects on alpha cell membrane potential. Our data support that loss-of-function mutations in CFTR contributes to dysregulated glucagon secretion in CFRD.
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35
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Shuai H, Xu Y, Yu Q, Gylfe E, Tengholm A. Fluorescent protein vectors for pancreatic islet cell identification in live-cell imaging. Pflugers Arch 2016; 468:1765-77. [PMID: 27539300 PMCID: PMC5026721 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-016-1864-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The islets of Langerhans contain different types of endocrine cells, which are crucial for glucose homeostasis. β- and α-cells that release insulin and glucagon, respectively, are most abundant, whereas somatostatin-producing δ-cells and particularly pancreatic polypeptide-releasing PP-cells are more scarce. Studies of islet cell function are hampered by difficulties to identify the different cell types, especially in live-cell imaging experiments when immunostaining is unsuitable. The aim of the present study was to create a set of vectors for fluorescent protein expression with cell-type-specific promoters and evaluate their applicability in functional islet imaging. We constructed six adenoviral vectors for expression of red and green fluorescent proteins controlled by the insulin, preproglucagon, somatostatin, or pancreatic polypeptide promoters. After transduction of mouse and human islets or dispersed islet cells, a majority of the fluorescent cells also immunostained for the appropriate hormone. Recordings of the sub-plasma membrane Ca(2+) and cAMP concentrations with a fluorescent indicator and a protein biosensor, respectively, showed that labeled cells respond to glucose and other modulators of secretion and revealed a striking variability in Ca(2+) signaling among α-cells. The measurements allowed comparison of the phase relationship of Ca(2+) oscillations between different types of cells within intact islets. We conclude that the fluorescent protein vectors allow easy identification of specific islet cell types and can be used in live-cell imaging together with organic dyes and genetically encoded biosensors. This approach will facilitate studies of normal islet physiology and help to clarify molecular defects and disturbed cell interactions in diabetic islets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Shuai
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yunjian Xu
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Qian Yu
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik Gylfe
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Tengholm
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Semplici F, Mondragon A, Macintyre B, Madeyski-Bengston K, Persson-Kry A, Barr S, Ramne A, Marley A, McGinty J, French P, Soedling H, Yokosuka R, Gaitan J, Lang J, Migrenne-Li S, Philippe E, Herrera PL, Magnan C, da Silva Xavier G, Rutter GA. Cell type-specific deletion in mice reveals roles for PAS kinase in insulin and glucagon production. Diabetologia 2016; 59:1938-47. [PMID: 27338626 PMCID: PMC4969360 DOI: 10.1007/s00125-016-4025-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS Per-Arnt-Sim kinase (PASK) is a nutrient-regulated domain-containing protein kinase previously implicated in the control of insulin gene expression and glucagon secretion. Here, we explore the roles of PASK in the control of islet hormone release, by generating mice with selective deletion of the Pask gene in pancreatic beta or alpha cells. METHODS Floxed alleles of Pask were produced by homologous recombination and animals bred with mice bearing beta (Ins1 (Cre); PaskBKO) or alpha (Ppg (Cre) [also known as Gcg]; PaskAKO) cell-selective Cre recombinase alleles. Glucose homeostasis and hormone secretion in vivo and in vitro, gene expression and islet cell mass were measured using standard techniques. RESULTS Ins1 (Cre)-based recombination led to efficient beta cell-targeted deletion of Pask. Beta cell mass was reduced by 36.5% (p < 0.05) compared with controls in PaskBKO mice, as well as in global Pask-null mice (38%, p < 0.05). PaskBKO mice displayed normal body weight and fasting glycaemia, but slightly impaired glucose tolerance, and beta cell proliferation, after maintenance on a high-fat diet. Whilst glucose tolerance was unaffected in PaskAKO mice, glucose infusion rates were increased, and glucagon secretion tended to be lower, during hypoglycaemic clamps. Although alpha cell mass was increased (21.9%, p < 0.05), glucagon release at low glucose was impaired (p < 0.05) in PaskAKO islets. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION The findings demonstrate cell-autonomous roles for PASK in the control of pancreatic endocrine hormone secretion. Differences between the glycaemic phenotype of global vs cell type-specific null mice suggest important roles for tissue interactions in the control of glycaemia by PASK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Semplici
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Angeles Mondragon
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Benedict Macintyre
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Katja Madeyski-Bengston
- AstraZeneca R&D, DECS, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
- AstraZeneca R&D, HC3020, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Anette Persson-Kry
- AstraZeneca R&D, DECS, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
- AstraZeneca R&D, HC3020, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Sara Barr
- AstraZeneca R&D, DECS, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
- AstraZeneca R&D, HC3020, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Anna Ramne
- AstraZeneca R&D, DECS, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
- AstraZeneca R&D, HC3020, AstraZeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden
| | | | - James McGinty
- Photonics Group, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paul French
- Photonics Group, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Helen Soedling
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Ryohsuke Yokosuka
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Julien Gaitan
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut de Chimie et Biologie des Membranes et des Nano-objets, CNRS UMR 5248, Pessac, France
| | - Jochen Lang
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut de Chimie et Biologie des Membranes et des Nano-objets, CNRS UMR 5248, Pessac, France
| | - Stephanie Migrenne-Li
- Paris Diderot University, Unit of Functional and Adaptive Biology (BFA), CNRS UMR 8251, Paris, France
| | - Erwann Philippe
- Paris Diderot University, Unit of Functional and Adaptive Biology (BFA), CNRS UMR 8251, Paris, France
| | - Pedro L Herrera
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christophe Magnan
- Paris Diderot University, Unit of Functional and Adaptive Biology (BFA), CNRS UMR 8251, Paris, France
| | - Gabriela da Silva Xavier
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
| | - Guy A Rutter
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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Dapagliflozin stimulates glucagon secretion at high glucose: experiments and mathematical simulations of human A-cells. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31214. [PMID: 27535321 PMCID: PMC4989223 DOI: 10.1038/srep31214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucagon is one of the main regulators of blood glucose levels and dysfunctional stimulus secretion coupling in pancreatic A-cells is believed to be an important factor during development of diabetes. However, regulation of glucagon secretion is poorly understood. Recently it has been shown that Na+/glucose co-transporter (SGLT) inhibitors used for the treatment of diabetes increase glucagon levels in man. Here, we show experimentally that the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin increases glucagon secretion at high glucose levels both in human and mouse islets, but has little effect at low glucose concentrations. Because glucagon secretion is regulated by electrical activity we developed a mathematical model of A-cell electrical activity based on published data from human A-cells. With operating SGLT2, simulated glucose application leads to cell depolarization and inactivation of the voltage-gated ion channels carrying the action potential, and hence to reduce action potential height. According to our model, inhibition of SGLT2 reduces glucose-induced depolarization via electrical mechanisms. We suggest that blocking SGLTs partly relieves glucose suppression of glucagon secretion by allowing full-scale action potentials to develop. Based on our simulations we propose that SGLT2 is a glucose sensor and actively contributes to regulation of glucagon levels in humans which has clinical implications.
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38
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Briant L, Salehi A, Vergari E, Zhang Q, Rorsman P. Glucagon secretion from pancreatic α-cells. Ups J Med Sci 2016; 121:113-9. [PMID: 27044683 PMCID: PMC4900066 DOI: 10.3109/03009734.2016.1156789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes involves a ménage à trois of impaired glucose regulation of pancreatic hormone release: in addition to impaired glucose-induced insulin secretion, the release of the hyperglycaemic hormone glucagon becomes dysregulated; these last-mentioned defects exacerbate the metabolic consequences of hypoinsulinaemia and are compounded further by hypersecretion of somatostatin (which inhibits both insulin and glucagon secretion). Glucagon secretion has been proposed to be regulated by either intrinsic or paracrine mechanisms, but their relative significance and the conditions under which they operate are debated. Importantly, the paracrine and intrinsic modes of regulation are not mutually exclusive; they could operate in parallel to control glucagon secretion. Here we have applied mathematical modelling of α-cell electrical activity as a novel means of dissecting the processes that underlie metabolic regulation of glucagon secretion. Our analyses indicate that basal hypersecretion of somatostatin and/or increased activity of somatostatin receptors may explain the loss of adequate counter-regulation under hypoglycaemic conditions, as well as the physiologically inappropriate stimulation of glucagon secretion during hyperglycaemia seen in diabetic patients. We therefore advocate studying the interaction of the paracrine and intrinsic mechanisms; unifying these processes may give a more complete picture of the regulation of glucagon secretion from α-cells than studying the individual parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linford Briant
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;
| | - Albert Salehi
- Metabolic Research, Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Elisa Vergari
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;
| | - Quan Zhang
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;
| | - Patrik Rorsman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;
- Metabolic Research, Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden
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39
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Gylfe E. Glucose control of glucagon secretion-'There's a brand-new gimmick every year'. Ups J Med Sci 2016; 121:120-32. [PMID: 27044660 PMCID: PMC4900067 DOI: 10.3109/03009734.2016.1154905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2016] [Revised: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucagon from the pancreatic α-cells is a major blood glucose-regulating hormone whose most important role is to prevent hypoglycaemia that can be life-threatening due to the brain's strong dependence on glucose as energy source. Lack of blood glucose-lowering insulin after malfunction or autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic β-cells is the recognized cause of diabetes, but recent evidence indicates that diabetic hyperglycaemia would not develop unless lack of insulin was accompanied by hypersecretion of glucagon. Glucagon release has therefore become an increasingly important target in diabetes management. Despite decades of research, an understanding of how glucagon secretion is regulated remains elusive, and fundamentally different mechanisms continue to be proposed. The autonomous nervous system is an important determinant of glucagon release, but it is clear that secretion is also directly regulated within the pancreatic islets. The present review focuses on pancreatic islet mechanisms involved in glucose regulation of glucagon release. It will be argued that α-cell-intrinsic processes are most important for regulation of glucagon release during recovery from hypoglycaemia and that paracrine inhibition by somatostatin from the δ-cells shapes pulsatile glucagon release in hyperglycaemia. The electrically coupled β-cells ultimately determine islet hormone pulsatility by releasing synchronizing factors that affect the α- and δ-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Gylfe
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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40
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Watts M, Ha J, Kimchi O, Sherman A. Paracrine regulation of glucagon secretion: the β/α/δ model. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2016; 310:E597-E611. [PMID: 26837808 PMCID: PMC4835945 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00415.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The regulation of glucagon secretion in the pancreatic α-cell is not well understood. It has been proposed that glucose suppresses glucagon secretion either directly through an intrinsic mechanism within the α-cell or indirectly through an extrinsic mechanism. Previously, we described a mathematical model for isolated pancreatic α-cells and used it to investigate possible intrinsic mechanisms of regulating glucagon secretion. We demonstrated that glucose can suppress glucagon secretion through both ATP-dependent potassium channels (KATP) and a store-operated current (SOC). We have now developed an islet model that combines previously published mathematical models of α- and β-cells with a new model of δ-cells and use it to explore the effects of insulin and somatostatin on glucagon secretion. We show that the model can reproduce experimental observations that the inhibitory effect of glucose remains even when paracrine modulators are no longer acting on the α-cell. We demonstrate how paracrine interactions can either synchronize α- and δ-cells to produce pulsatile oscillations in glucagon and somatostatin secretion or fail to do so. The model can also account for the paradoxical observation that glucagon can be out of phase with insulin, whereas α-cell calcium is in phase with insulin. We conclude that both paracrine interactions and the α-cell's intrinsic mechanisms are needed to explain the response of glucagon secretion to glucose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Watts
- Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; and
| | - Joon Ha
- Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; and
| | - Ofer Kimchi
- Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
| | - Arthur Sherman
- Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; and
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41
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Montefusco F, Pedersen MG. Mathematical modelling of local calcium and regulated exocytosis during inhibition and stimulation of glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha-cells. J Physiol 2015; 593:4519-30. [PMID: 26236035 DOI: 10.1113/jp270777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha-cells is dysregulated in diabetes. Despite decades of investigations of the control of glucagon release by glucose and hormones, the underlying mechanisms are still debated. Recently, mathematical models have been applied to investigate the modification of electrical activity in alpha-cells as a result of glucose application. However, recent studies have shown that paracrine effects such as inhibition of glucagon secretion by glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) or stimulation of release by adrenaline involve cAMP-mediated effects downstream of electrical activity. In particular, depending of the intracellular cAMP concentration, specific types of Ca(2+) channels are inhibited or activated, which interacts with mobilization of secretory granules. To investigate these aspects of alpha-cell function theoretically, we carefully developed a mathematical model of Ca(2+) levels near open or closed Ca(2+) channels of various types, which was linked to a description of Ca(2+) below the plasma membrane, in the bulk cytosol and in the endoplasmic reticulum. We investigated how the various subcellular Ca(2+) compartments contribute to control of glucagon-exocytosis in response to glucose, GLP-1 or adrenaline. Our studies refine previous modelling studies of alpha-cell function, and provide deeper insight into the control of glucagon secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Montefusco
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/B, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Morten Gram Pedersen
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/B, 35131, Padova, Italy
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42
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Li J, Yu Q, Ahooghalandari P, Gribble FM, Reimann F, Tengholm A, Gylfe E. Submembrane ATP and Ca2+ kinetics in α-cells: unexpected signaling for glucagon secretion. FASEB J 2015; 29:3379-88. [PMID: 25911612 PMCID: PMC4539996 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-265918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cytoplasmic ATP and Ca(2+) are implicated in current models of glucose's control of glucagon and insulin secretion from pancreatic α- and β-cells, respectively, but little is known about ATP and its relation to Ca(2+) in α-cells. We therefore expressed the fluorescent ATP biosensor Perceval in mouse pancreatic islets and loaded them with a Ca(2+) indicator. With total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we recorded subplasma membrane concentrations of Ca(2+) and ATP ([Ca(2+)]pm; [ATP]pm) in superficial α- and β-cells of intact islets and related signaling to glucagon and insulin secretion by immunoassay. Consistent with ATP's controlling glucagon and insulin secretion during hypo- and hyperglycemia, respectively, the dose-response relationship for glucose-induced [ATP]pm generation was left shifted in α-cells compared to β-cells. Both cell types showed [Ca(2+)]pm and [ATP]pm oscillations in opposite phase, probably reflecting energy-consuming Ca(2+) transport. Although pulsatile insulin and glucagon release are in opposite phase, [Ca(2+)]pm synchronized in the same phase between α- and β-cells. This paradox can be explained by the overriding of Ca(2+) stimulation by paracrine inhibition, because somatostatin receptor blockade potently stimulated glucagon release with little effect on Ca(2+). The data indicate that an α-cell-intrinsic mechanism controls glucagon in hypoglycemia and that paracrine factors shape pulsatile secretion in hyperglycemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Li
- *Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Qian Yu
- *Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Parvin Ahooghalandari
- *Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona M Gribble
- *Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Frank Reimann
- *Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anders Tengholm
- *Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Erik Gylfe
- *Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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43
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Sun G, da Silva Xavier G, Gorman T, Priest C, Solomou A, Hodson DJ, Foretz M, Viollet B, Herrera PL, Parker H, Reimann F, Gribble FM, Migrenne S, Magnan C, Marley A, Rutter GA. LKB1 and AMPKα1 are required in pancreatic alpha cells for the normal regulation of glucagon secretion and responses to hypoglycemia. Mol Metab 2015; 4:277-86. [PMID: 25830091 PMCID: PMC4354920 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2015.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Revised: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/17/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS Glucagon release from pancreatic alpha cells is required for normal glucose homoeostasis and is dysregulated in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The tumour suppressor LKB1 (STK11) and the downstream kinase AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), modulate cellular metabolism and growth, and AMPK is an important target of the anti-hyperglycaemic agent metformin. While LKB1 and AMPK have emerged recently as regulators of beta cell mass and insulin secretion, the role of these enzymes in the control of glucagon production in vivo is unclear. METHODS Here, we ablated LKB1 (αLKB1KO), or the catalytic alpha subunits of AMPK (αAMPKdKO, -α1KO, -α2KO), selectively in ∼45% of alpha cells in mice by deleting the corresponding flox'd alleles with a preproglucagon promoter (PPG) Cre. RESULTS Blood glucose levels in male αLKB1KO mice were lower during intraperitoneal glucose, aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) or arginine tolerance tests, and glucose infusion rates were increased in hypoglycemic clamps (p < 0.01). αLKB1KO mice also displayed impaired hypoglycemia-induced glucagon release. Glucose infusion rates were also elevated (p < 0.001) in αAMPKα1 null mice, and hypoglycemia-induced plasma glucagon increases tended to be lower (p = 0.06). Glucagon secretion from isolated islets was sensitized to the inhibitory action of glucose in αLKB1KO, αAMPKdKO, and -α1KO, but not -α2KO islets. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION An LKB1-dependent signalling cassette, involving but not restricted to AMPKα1, is required in pancreatic alpha cells for the control of glucagon release by glucose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gao Sun
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Gabriela da Silva Xavier
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Antonia Solomou
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David J. Hodson
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Marc Foretz
- Inserm, U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cité, Paris, France
| | - Benoit Viollet
- Inserm, U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cité, Paris, France
| | - Pedro-Luis Herrera
- Department of Genetic Medicine & Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Helen Parker
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Frank Reimann
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fiona M. Gribble
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stephanie Migrenne
- University Paris Diderot-Paris 7-Unit of Functional and Adaptive Biology (BFA) EAC 7059C NRS, France
| | - Christophe Magnan
- University Paris Diderot-Paris 7-Unit of Functional and Adaptive Biology (BFA) EAC 7059C NRS, France
| | | | - Guy A. Rutter
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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44
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Watts M, Sherman A. Modeling the pancreatic α-cell: dual mechanisms of glucose suppression of glucagon secretion. Biophys J 2014; 106:741-51. [PMID: 24507615 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.11.4504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Revised: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism by which glucose induces insulin secretion in β-cells is fairly well understood. Despite years of research, however, the mechanism of glucagon secretion in α-cells is still not well established. It has been proposed that glucose regulates glucagon secretion by decreasing the conductance of either outward ATP-dependent potassium channels (K(ATP)) or an inward store-operated current (SOC). We have developed a mathematical model based on mouse data to test these hypotheses and found that both mechanisms are possible. Glucose metabolism closes K(ATP) channels, which depolarizes the cell but paradoxically reduces calcium influx by inactivating voltage-dependent calcium and sodium channels and decreases secretion. Glucose metabolism also activates SERCA pumps, which fills the endoplasmic reticulum and hyperpolarizes the cells by reducing the inward current through SOC channels and again suppresses glucagon secretion. We find further that the two mechanisms can combine to account for the nonmonotonic dependence of secretion on glucose observed in some studies, an effect that cannot be obtained with either mechanism alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Watts
- Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Arthur Sherman
- Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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45
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Rorsman P, Ramracheya R, Rorsman NJG, Zhang Q. ATP-regulated potassium channels and voltage-gated calcium channels in pancreatic alpha and beta cells: similar functions but reciprocal effects on secretion. Diabetologia 2014; 57:1749-61. [PMID: 24906950 DOI: 10.1007/s00125-014-3279-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Closure of ATP-regulated K(+) channels (K(ATP) channels) plays a central role in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in beta cells. K(ATP) channels are also highly expressed in glucagon-producing alpha cells, where their function remains unresolved. Under hypoglycaemic conditions, K(ATP) channels are open in alpha cells but their activity is low and only ~1% of that in beta cells. Like beta cells, alpha cells respond to hyperglycaemia with K(ATP) channel closure, membrane depolarisation and stimulation of action potential firing. Yet, hyperglycaemia reciprocally regulates glucagon (inhibition) and insulin secretion (stimulation). Here we discuss how this conundrum can be resolved and how reduced K(ATP) channel activity, via membrane depolarisation, paradoxically reduces alpha cell Ca(2+) entry and glucagon exocytosis. Finally, we consider whether the glucagon secretory defects associated with diabetes can be attributed to impaired K(ATP) channel regulation and discuss the potential for remedial pharmacological intervention using sulfonylureas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Rorsman
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LJ, UK,
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46
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Gylfe E, Tengholm A. Neurotransmitter control of islet hormone pulsatility. Diabetes Obes Metab 2014; 16 Suppl 1:102-10. [PMID: 25200303 DOI: 10.1111/dom.12345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Pulsatile secretion is an inherent property of hormone-releasing pancreatic islet cells. This secretory pattern is physiologically important and compromised in diabetes. Neurotransmitters released from islet cells may shape the pulses in auto/paracrine feedback loops. Within islets, glucose-stimulated β-cells couple via gap junctions to generate synchronized insulin pulses. In contrast, α- and δ-cells lack gap junctions, and glucagon release from islets stimulated by lack of glucose is non-pulsatile. Increasing glucose concentrations gradually inhibit glucagon secretion by α-cell-intrinsic mechanism/s. Further glucose elevation will stimulate pulsatile insulin release and co-secretion of neurotransmitters. Excitatory ATP may synchronize β-cells with δ-cells to generate coinciding pulses of insulin and somatostatin. Inhibitory neurotransmitters from β- and δ-cells can then generate antiphase pulses of glucagon release. Neurotransmitters released from intrapancreatic ganglia are required to synchronize β-cells between islets to coordinate insulin pulsatility from the entire pancreas, whereas paracrine intra-islet effects still suffice to explain coordinated pulsatile release of glucagon and somatostatin. The present review discusses how neurotransmitters contribute to the pulsatility at different levels of integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Gylfe
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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47
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Abstract
Glucose homeostasis is precisely regulated by glucagon and insulin, which are released by pancreatic α- and β-cells, respectively. While β-cells have been the focus of intense research, less is known about α-cell function and the actions of glucagon. In recent years, the study of this endocrine cell type has experienced a renewed drive. The present review contains a summary of established concepts as well as new information about the regulation of α-cells by glucose, amino acids, fatty acids and other nutrients, focusing especially on glucagon release, glucagon synthesis and α-cell survival. We have also discussed the role of glucagon in glucose homeostasis and in energy and lipid metabolism as well as its potential as a modulator of food intake and body weight. In addition to the well-established action on the liver, we discuss the effects of glucagon in other organs, where the glucagon receptor is expressed. These tissues include the heart, kidneys, adipose tissue, brain, small intestine and the gustatory epithelium. Alterations in α-cell function and abnormal glucagon concentrations are present in diabetes and are thought to aggravate the hyperglycaemic state of diabetic patients. In this respect, several experimental approaches in diabetic models have shown important beneficial results in improving hyperglycaemia after the modulation of glucagon secretion or action. Moreover, glucagon receptor agonism has also been used as a therapeutic strategy to treat obesity.
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48
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Hellman B, Grapengiesser E. Glucose-induced inhibition of insulin secretion. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2014; 210:479-88. [PMID: 24354538 DOI: 10.1111/apha.12217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2013] [Revised: 11/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Increase in glucose is known to elevate the concentration of cytoplasmic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+) ]i ) in pancreatic β-cells and stimulate insulin secretion. However, rise of glucose can also lower [Ca(2+) ]i and inhibit insulin release. In the present review, we examine the mechanisms for this inhibition and highlight its importance for the healthy β-cell and the development of diabetes. It is possible to distinguish between 60 and 90 s of prompt inhibition and the late inhibition seen after the first-phase peak of insulin release. The introductory inhibition is characteristic of the healthy β-cell and mediated by sequestration of [Ca(2+) ]i in the endoplasmic reticulum. This inhibition is easily seen in studies of isolated islets but too brief to be detected in a conventional intravenous glucose tolerance test. Coupled to simultaneous rise of glucagon, the introductory suppression of insulin release is the starting point for the antiphase relation between the subsequent insulin and glucagon pulses. Another effect of the initial suppression is to increase the pool of readily releasable granules responsible for the first-phase release of insulin. The presence of late inhibition of insulin release is an indicator of β-cell dysfunction. Patients with type 2 diabetes often respond to intravenous bolus injection of glucose with 5-10 min of late suppression of circulating insulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Hellman
- Department of Medical Cell Biology; University of Uppsala; Uppsala Sweden
| | - E. Grapengiesser
- Department of Medical Cell Biology; University of Uppsala; Uppsala Sweden
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Strömstedt AA, Felth J, Bohlin L. Bioassays in natural product research - strategies and methods in the search for anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity. PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS : PCA 2014; 25:13-28. [PMID: 24019222 DOI: 10.1002/pca.2468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Revised: 06/24/2013] [Accepted: 06/24/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Identifying bioactive molecules from complex biomasses requires careful selection and execution of relevant bioassays in the various stages of the discovery process of potential leads and targets. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review is to share our long-term experience in bioassay-guided isolation, and mechanistic studies, of bioactive compounds from different organisms in nature with emphasis on anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity. METHODS In the search for anti-inflammatory activity, in vivo and in vitro model combinations with enzymes and cells involved in the inflammatory process have been used, such as cyclooxygenases, human neutrophils and human cancer cell lines. Methods concerning adsorption and perforation of bacteria, fungi, human cells and model membranes, have been developed and optimised, with emphasis on antimicrobial peptides and their interaction with the membrane target, in particular their ability to distinguish host from pathogen. RESULTS A long-term research has provided experience of selection and combination of bioassay models, which has led to an increased understanding of ethnopharmacological and ecological observations, together with in-depth knowledge of mode of action of isolated compounds. CONCLUSION A more multidisciplinary approach and a higher degree of fundamental research in development of bioassays are often necessary to identify and to fully understand the mode of action of bioactive molecules with novel structure-activity relationships from natural sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam A Strömstedt
- Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Box 574, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
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50
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Abstract
Glucagon secreted by pancreatic α-cells is the major hyperglycemic hormone correcting acute hypoglycaemia (glucose counterregulation). In diabetes the glucagon response to hypoglycaemia becomes compromised and chronic hyperglucagonemia appears. There is increasing awareness that glucagon excess may underlie important manifestations of diabetes. However opinions differ widely how glucose controls glucagon secretion. The autonomous nervous system plays an important role in the glucagon response to hypoglycaemia. But it is clear that glucose controls glucagon secretion also by mechanisms involving direct effects on α-cells or indirect effects via paracrine factors released from non-α-cells within the pancreatic islets. The present review discusses these mechanisms and argues that different regulatory processes are involved in a glucose concentration-dependent manner. Direct glucose effects on the α-cell and autocrine mechanisms are probably most significant for the glucagon response to hypoglycaemia. During hyperglycaemia, when secretion from β- and δ-cells is stimulated, paracrine inhibitory factors generate pulsatile glucagon release in opposite phase to pulsatile release of insulin and somatostatin. High concentrations of glucose have also stimulatory effects on glucagon secretion that tend to balance and even exceed the inhibitory influence. The latter actions might underlie the paradoxical hyperglucagonemia that aggravates hyperglycaemia in persons with diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Gylfe
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 571, SE-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Patrick Gilon
- Pôle d'Endocrinologie, Diabète et Nutrition, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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