Voltage-activated currents in guinea pig pancreatic alpha 2 cells. Evidence for Ca2+-dependent action potentials

The endoplasmic reticulum plays a key role in α-cell intracellular Ca2+ dynamics and glucose-regulated glucagon secretion in mouse islets

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.

Leucine suppresses glucagon secretion from pancreatic islets by directly modulating α-cell cAMP

Objective

Pancreatic islets are nutrient sensors that regulate organismal blood glucose homeostasis. Glucagon release from the pancreatic α-cell is important under fasted, fed, and hypoglycemic conditions, yet metabolic regulation of α-cells remains poorly understood. Here, we identified a previously unexplored role for physiological levels of leucine, which is classically regarded as a β-cell fuel, in the intrinsic regulation of α-cell glucagon release.

Methods

GcgCreERT:CAMPER and GcgCreERT:GCaMP6s mice were generated to perform dynamic, high-throughput functional measurements of α-cell cAMP and Ca2+ within the intact islet. Islet perifusion assays were used for simultaneous, time-resolved measurements of glucagon and insulin release from mouse and human islets. The effects of leucine were compared with glucose and the mitochondrial fuels 2-aminobicyclo(2,2,1)heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH, non-metabolized leucine analog that activates glutamate dehydrogenase), α-ketoisocaproate (KIC, leucine metabolite), and methyl-succinate (complex II fuel). CYN154806 (Sstr2 antagonist), diazoxide (KATP activator, which prevents Ca2+-dependent exocytosis from α, β, and δ-cells), and dispersed α-cells were used to inhibit islet paracrine signaling and identify α-cell intrinsic effects.

Results

Mimicking the effect of glucose, leucine strongly suppressed amino acid-stimulated glucagon secretion. Mechanistically, leucine dose-dependently reduced α-cell cAMP at physiological concentrations, with an IC50 of 57, 440, and 1162 μM at 2, 6, and 10 mM glucose, without affecting α-cell Ca2+. Leucine also reduced α-cell cAMP in islets treated with Sstr2 antagonist or diazoxide, as well as dispersed α-cells, indicating an α-cell intrinsic effect. The effect of leucine was matched by KIC and the glutamate dehydrogenase activator BCH, but not methyl-succinate, indicating a dependence on mitochondrial anaplerosis. Glucose, which stimulates anaplerosis via pyruvate carboxylase, had the same suppressive effect on α-cell cAMP but with lower potency. Similarly to mouse islets, leucine suppressed glucagon secretion from human islets under hypoglycemic conditions.

Conclusions

These findings highlight an important role for physiological levels of leucine in the metabolic regulation of α-cell cAMP and glucagon secretion. Leucine functions primarily through an α-cell intrinsic effect that is dependent on glutamate dehydrogenase, in addition to the well-established α-cell regulation by β/δ-cell paracrine signaling. Our results suggest that mitochondrial anaplerosis-cataplerosis facilitates the glucagonostatic effect of both leucine and glucose, which cooperatively suppress α-cell tone by reducing cAMP.

Revisiting the role of glucagon in health, diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases

Insulin and glucagon exert opposing effects on glucose metabolism and, consequently, pancreatic islet β-cells and α-cells are considered functional antagonists. The intra-islet hypothesis has previously dominated the understanding of glucagon secretion, stating that insulin acts to inhibit the release of glucagon. By contrast, glucagon is a potent stimulator of insulin secretion and has been used to test β-cell function. Over the past decade, α-cells have received increasing attention due to their ability to stimulate insulin secretion from neighbouring β-cells, and α-cell-β-cell crosstalk has proven central for glucose homeostasis in vivo. Glucagon is not only the counter-regulatory hormone to insulin in glucose metabolism but also glucagon secretion is more susceptible to changes in the plasma concentration of certain amino acids than to changes in plasma concentrations of glucose. Thus, the actions of glucagon also include a central role in amino acid turnover and hepatic fat oxidation. This Review provides insights into glucagon secretion, with a focus on the local paracrine actions on glucagon and the importance of α-cell-β-cell crosstalk. We focus on dysregulated glucagon secretion in obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lastly, the future potential of targeting hyperglucagonaemia and applying dual and triple receptor agonists with glucagon receptor-activating properties in combination with incretin hormone receptor agonism is discussed.

Regulation of α-cell glucagon secretion: The role of second messengers

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.

Alanine, arginine, cysteine, and proline, but not glutamine, are substrates for, and acute mediators of, the liver-α-cell axis in female mice

The aim of this study was to identify the amino acids that stimulate glucagon secretion in mice and whose metabolism depends on glucagon receptor signaling. Pancreata of female C57BL/6JRj mice were perfused with 19 individual amino acids and pyruvate (at 10 mM), and secretion of glucagon was assessed using a specific glucagon radioimmunoassay. Separately, a glucagon receptor antagonist (GRA; 25-2648, 100 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered to female C57BL/6JRj mice 3 h before an intraperitoneal injection of four different isomolar amino acid mixtures (in total 7 µmol/g body wt) as follows: mixture 1 contained alanine, arginine, cysteine, and proline; mixture 2 contained aspartate, glutamate, histidine, and lysine; mixture 3 contained citrulline, methionine, serine, and threonine; and mixture 4 contained glutamine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Blood glucose, plasma glucagon, amino acid, and insulin concentrations were measured using well-characterized methodologies. Alanine (P = 0.03), arginine (P < 0.0001), cysteine (P = 0.01), glycine (P = 0.02), lysine (P = 0.02), and proline (P = 0.03), but not glutamine (P = 0.9), stimulated glucagon secretion from the perfused mouse pancreas. However, when the four isomolar amino acid mixtures were administered in vivo, the four mixtures elicited similar glucagon responses (P > 0.5). Plasma concentrations of total amino acids in vivo were higher after administration of GRA when mixture 1 (P = 0.004) or mixture 3 (P = 0.04) were injected. Our data suggest that alanine, arginine, cysteine, and proline, but not glutamine, are involved in the acute regulation of the liver-α-cell axis in female mice, as they all increased glucagon secretion and their disappearance rate was altered by GRA.

Integrating the inputs that shape pancreatic islet hormone release

The pancreatic islet is a complex mini organ composed of a variety of endocrine cells and their support cells, which together tightly control blood glucose homeostasis. Changes in glucose concentration are commonly regarded as the chief signal controlling insulin-secreting beta cells, glucagon-secreting alpha cells and somatostatin-secreting delta cells. However, each of these cell types is highly responsive to a multitude of endocrine, paracrine, nutritional and neural inputs, which collectively shape the final endocrine output of the islet. Here, we review the principal inputs for each islet-cell type and the physiological circumstances in which these signals arise, through the prism of the insights generated by the transcriptomes of each of the major endocrine-cell types. A comprehensive integration of the factors that influence blood glucose homeostasis is essential to successfully improve therapeutic strategies for better diabetes management.

The α-cell in diabetes mellitus

Findings from the past 10 years have placed the glucagon-secreting pancreatic α-cell centre stage in the development of diabetes mellitus, a disease affecting almost one in every ten adults worldwide. Glucagon secretion is reduced in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, increasing the risk of insulin-induced hypoglycaemia, but is enhanced in type 2 diabetes mellitus, exacerbating the effects of diminished insulin release and action on blood levels of glucose. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying these changes is therefore an important goal. RNA sequencing reveals that, despite their opposing roles in the control of blood levels of glucose, α-cells and β-cells have remarkably similar patterns of gene expression. This similarity might explain the fairly facile interconversion between these cells and the ability of the α-cell compartment to serve as a source of new β-cells in models of extreme β-cell loss that mimic type 1 diabetes mellitus. Emerging data suggest that GABA might facilitate this interconversion, whereas the amino acid glutamine serves as a liver-derived factor to promote α-cell replication and maintenance of α-cell mass. Here, we survey these developments and their therapeutic implications for patients with diabetes mellitus.

ATP-regulated potassium channels and voltage-gated calcium channels in pancreatic alpha and beta cells: similar functions but reciprocal effects on secretion

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.

K(ATP) channels and islet hormone secretion: new insights and controversies

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K(ATP) channels) link cell metabolism to electrical activity by controlling the cell membrane potential. They participate in many physiological processes but have a particularly important role in systemic glucose homeostasis by regulating hormone secretion from pancreatic islet cells. Glucose-induced closure of K(ATP) channels is crucial for insulin secretion. Emerging data suggest that K(ATP) channels also play a key part in glucagon secretion, although precisely how they do so remains controversial. This Review highlights the role of K(ATP) channels in insulin and glucagon secretion. We discuss how K(ATP) channels might contribute not only to the initiation of insulin release but also to the graded stimulation of insulin secretion that occurs with increasing glucose concentrations. The various hypotheses concerning the role of K(ATP) channels in glucagon release are also reviewed. Furthermore, we illustrate how mutations in K(ATP) channel genes can cause hyposecretion or hypersecretion of insulin, as in neonatal diabetes mellitus and congenital hyperinsulinism, and how defective metabolic regulation of the channel may underlie the hypoinsulinaemia and the hyperglucagonaemia that characterize type 2 diabetes mellitus. Finally, we outline how sulphonylureas, which inhibit K(ATP) channels, stimulate insulin secretion in patients with neonatal diabetes mellitus or type 2 diabetes mellitus, and suggest their potential use to target the glucagon secretory defects found in diabetes mellitus.

Glucagon secretion and signaling in the development of diabetes

Normal release of glucagon from pancreatic islet α-cells promotes glucose mobilization, which counteracts the hypoglycemic actions of insulin, thereby ensuring glucose homeostasis. In treatment of diabetes aimed at rigorously reducing hyperglycemia to avoid chronic complications, the resulting hypoglycemia triggering glucagon release from α-cells is frequently impaired, with ensuing hypoglycemic complications. This review integrates the physiology of glucagon secretion regulating glucose homeostasis in vivo to single α-cell signaling, and how both become perturbed in diabetes. α-cells within the social milieu of the islet micro-organ are regulated not only by intrinsic signaling events but also by paracrine regulation, particularly by adjacent insulin-secreting β-cells and somatostatin-secreting δ-cells. We discuss the intrinsic α-cell signaling events, including glucose sensing and ion channel regulation leading to glucagon secretion. We then discuss the complex crosstalk between the islet cells and the breakdown of this crosstalk in diabetes contributing to the dysregulated glucagon secretion. Whereas, there are many secretory products released by β- and δ-cells that become deficient or excess in diabetes, we discuss the major ones, including the better known insulin and lesser known somatostatin, which act as putative paracrine on/off switches that very finely regulate α-cell secretory responses in health and diabetes. Of note in several type 1 diabetes (T1D) rodent models, blockade of excess somatostatin actions on α-cell could normalize glucagon secretion sufficient to attain normoglycemia in response to hypoglycemic assaults. There has been slow progress in fully elucidating the pathophysiology of the α-cell in diabetes because of the small number of α-cells within an islet and the islet mass becomes severely reduced and inflamed in diabetes. These limitations are just now being surmounted by new approaches.

One-step purification of functional human and rat pancreatic alpha cells

Pancreatic alpha cells contribute to glucose homeostasis by the regulated secretion of glucagon, which increases glycogenolysis and hepatic gluconeogenesis in response to hypoglycemia. Alterations of glucagon secretion are observed in diabetic patients and exacerbate the disease. The restricted availability of purified primary alpha cells has limited our understanding of their function in health and disease. This study was designed to establish convenient protocols for the purification of viable alpha cells from rat and human pancreatic islets by FACS, using intrinsic cellular properties. Islets were isolated from the pancreata of Wistar rats or deceased human organ donors. Dispersed islet cells were separated by FACS based on light scatter and autofluorescence. Purity of sorted cells was evaluated by immunocytochemistry using hormone specific antibodies. Relative hormone expression was further determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Viability was determined by Annexin V and propidium iodide staining and function was assessed by monitoring cytoplasmic free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) using Fura-2/AM. We developed species-specific FACS gating strategies that resulted in populations consisting mainly of alpha cells (96.6 ± 1.4%, n = 3 for rat; 95.4 ± 1.7%, n = 4 for human, mean ± SEM). These cell fractions showed ~5-fold and ~4-fold enrichment (rat and human, respectively) of glucagon mRNA expression compared to total ungated islet cells. Most of the sorted cells were viable and functional, as they responded with an increase in [Ca(2+)](i) upon stimulation with L-arginine (10 mM). The majority of the sorted human alpha cells responded also to stimulation with kainate (100 μM), whereas this response was infrequent in rat alpha cells. Using the same sample preparation, but a different gating strategy, we were also able to sort rat and human populations enriched in beta cells. In conclusion, we have simplified and optimized a method for the purification of rat alpha cells, as well as established a novel approach to separate human alpha cells using neither antibodies nor dyes possibly interfering with cellular functions.

Regulation of glucagon secretion by glucose: paracrine, intrinsic or both?

Glucagon secretion is regulated by glucose but the mechanisms involved remain hotly debated. Both intrinsic (within the α-cell itself) and paracrine (mediated by factors released β- and/or δ-cells) have been postulated. Glucagon secretion is maximally suppressed by glucose concentrations that do not affect insulin and somatostatin secretion, a finding that highlights the significance of intrinsic regulation of glucagon secretion. Experiments on islets from mice lacking functional ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K(ATP)-channels) indicate that these channels are critical to the α-cell's capacity to sense changes in extracellular glucose. Here, we review recent data on the intrinsic and paracrine regulation of glucagon secretion in human pancreatic islets. We propose that glucose-induced closure of the K(ATP)-channels, via membrane depolarization, culminates in reduced electrical activity and glucagon secretion by voltage-dependent inactivation of the ion channels involved in action potential firing. We further demonstrate that glucagon secretion measured in islets isolated from donors with type-2 diabetes is reduced at low glucose and that glucose stimulates rather than inhibits secretion in these islets. We finally discuss the relative significance of paracrine and intrinsic regulation in the fed and fasted states and propose a unifying model for the regulation of glucagon secretion that incorporates both modes of control.

Models of glucagon secretion, their application to the analysis of the defects in glucagon counterregulation and potential extension to approximate glucagon action

This review analyzes an interdisciplinary approach to the pancreatic endocrine network-like relationships that control glucagon secretion and glucagon counterregulation (GCR). Using in silico studies, we show that a pancreatic feedback network that brings together several explicit interactions between islet peptides and blood glucose reproduces the normal GCR axis and explains its impairment in diabetes. An α-cell auto-feedback loop drives glucagon pulsatility and mediates triggering of GCR by hypoglycemia by a rapid switch-off of β-cell signals. The auto-feedback explains the enhancement of defective GCR in β-cell deficiency by a switch-off of signals in the pancreas that suppress α cells. Our models also predict that reduced β-cell activity decreases and delays the GCR. A key application of our models is the in silico simulation and testing of possible scenarios to repair defective GCR in β-cell deficiency. In particular, we predict that partial suppression of hyperglucagonemia may repair the impaired GCR. We also outline how the models can be extended and tested using human data to become a part of a larger construct including the regulation of the hepatic glucose output by the pancreas, circulating glucose, and incretins. In conclusion, a model of the normal GCR control mechanisms and their dysregulation in insulin-deficient diabetes is proposed and partially validated. The model components are clinically measurable, which permits its application to the study of the abnormalities of the human endocrine pancreas and their role in the progression of many diseases, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and others. It may also be used to examine therapeutic responses.

Voltage-dependent K(+) channels are positive regulators of alpha cell action potential generation and glucagon secretion in mice and humans

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The regulation of glucagon secretion from alpha cells is poorly understood. Since action potential firing at low glucose is required for glucagon secretion, we hypothesised that voltage-dependent K(+) (Kv) currents limit glucagon secretion under these conditions, similarly to their role in insulin secretion.

METHODS

Kv currents and action potential firing of mouse and human alpha cells, identified by immunostaining, were examined by whole-cell patch-clamp. Glucagon secretion from mouse and human islets was measured by ELISA.

RESULTS

Kv current density was 35% larger in alpha than in beta cells. Alpha cell Kv channels were sensitive to block by tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 4-aminopyridine. Surprisingly, Kv channel inhibition reduced glucagon release to the same extent as glucose. Robust action potential firing was observed in beta cells when ATP-sensitive K(+) channels were closed, but in alpha cells a negative current (-8 pA) injection was required for action potential firing. TEA (0.5 mmol/l) impaired alpha cell action potential firing, which could be restored by further hyperpolarising current injection (-16 pA). Kv currents were more sensitive to the Kv2 inhibitor stromatoxin (100 nmol/l) in mouse (80%) than in human (45%) alpha cells. Finally, the maxi-K (BK) channel inhibitor iberiotoxin (100 nmol/l) blocked 55% of the current in human alpha cells and inhibited glucagon release from human islets.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Kv currents in alpha cells are positive regulators of glucagon secretion. These currents, mediated by Kv2 and BK channels, limit membrane depolarisation, and prevent inactivation of alpha cell action potentials and suppression of glucagon release.

Electrophysiology of islet cells

Stimulus-Secretion Coupling (SSC) of pancreatic islet cells comprises electrical activity. Changes of the membrane potential (V(m)) are regulated by metabolism-dependent alterations in ion channel activity. This coupling is best explored in beta-cells. The effect of glucose is directly linked to mitochondrial metabolism as the ATP/ADP ratio determines the open probability of ATP-sensitive K(+) channels (K(ATP) channels). Nucleotide sensitivity and concentration in the direct vicinity of the channels are controlled by several factors including phospholipids, fatty acids, and kinases, e.g., creatine and adenylate kinase. Closure of K(ATP) channels leads to depolarization of beta-cells via a yet unknown depolarizing current. Ca(2+) influx during action potentials (APs) results in an increase of the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) that triggers exocytosis. APs are elicited by the opening of voltage-dependent Na(+) and/or Ca(2+) channels and repolarized by voltage- and/or Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) channels. At a constant stimulatory glucose concentration APs are clustered in bursts that are interrupted by hyperpolarized interburst phases. Bursting electrical activity induces parallel fluctuations in [Ca(2+)](c) and insulin secretion. Bursts are terminated by I(Kslow) consisting of currents through Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) channels and K(ATP) channels. This review focuses on structure, characteristics, physiological function, and regulation of ion channels in beta-cells. Information about pharmacological drugs acting on K(ATP) channels, K(ATP) channelopathies, and influence of oxidative stress on K(ATP) channel function is provided. One focus is the outstanding significance of L-type Ca(2+) channels for insulin secretion. The role of less well characterized beta-cell channels including voltage-dependent Na(+) channels, volume sensitive anion channels (VSACs), transient receptor potential (TRP)-related channels, and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels is discussed. A model of beta-cell oscillations provides insight in the interplay of the different channels to induce and maintain electrical activity. Regulation of beta-cell electrical activity by hormones and the autonomous nervous system is discussed. alpha- and delta-cells are also equipped with K(ATP) channels, voltage-dependent Na(+), K(+), and Ca(2+) channels. Yet the SSC of these cells is less clear and is not necessarily dependent on K(ATP) channel closure. Different ion channels of alpha- and delta-cells are introduced and SSC in alpha-cells is described in special respect of paracrine effects of insulin and GABA secreted from beta-cells.

Enhancement of glucagon secretion in mouse and human pancreatic alpha cells by protein kinase C (PKC) involves intracellular trafficking of PKCalpha and PKCdelta

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Protein kinase C (PKC) regulates exocytosis in various secretory cells. Here we studied intracellular translocation of the PKC isoenzymes PKCalpha and PKCdelta, and investigated how activation of PKC influences glucagon secretion in mouse and human pancreatic alpha cells.

METHODS

Glucagon release from intact islets was measured in static incubations, and the amounts released were determined by RIA. Exocytosis was monitored as increases in membrane capacitance using the patch-clamp technique. The expression of genes encoding PKC isoforms was analysed by real-time PCR. Intracellular PKC distribution was assessed by confocal microscopy.

RESULTS

The PKC activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated glucagon secretion from mouse and human islets about fivefold (p < 0.01). This stimulation was abolished by the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide (BIM). Whereas PMA potentiated exocytosis more than threefold (p < 0.001), BIM inhibited alpha cell exocytosis by 60% (p < 0.05). In mouse islets, the PKC isoenzymes, PKCalpha and PKCbeta1, were highly abundant, while in human islets PKCeta, PKCepsilon and PKCzeta were the dominant variants. PMA stimulation of human alpha cells correlated with the translocation of PKCalpha and PKCdelta from the cytosol to the cell periphery. In the mouse alpha cells, PKCdelta was similarly affected by PMA, whereas PKCalpha was already present at the cell membrane in the absence of PMA. This association of PKCalpha in alpha cells was principally dependent on Ca(2+) influx through the L-type Ca(2+) channel.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

PKC activation augments glucagon secretion in mouse and human alpha cells. This effect involves translocation of PKCalpha and PKCdelta to the plasma membrane, culminating in increased Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis. In addition, we demonstrated that PKCalpha translocation and exocytosis exhibit differential Ca(2+) channel dependence.

Bisphenol-A: a new diabetogenic factor?

The aim of this review was to analyze the potential effects of environmental chemicals on homeostatic control related to glycemia and energy balance. Many of the environmental chemicals can mimic or interfere with the action of hormones and are generally referred to as "endocrine disruptors". Among these compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, phthalates and bisphenol-A have been correlated with alterations in blood glucose homeostasis in humans. In rodents it has been demonstrated that small doses of bisphenol-A have profound effects on glucose metabolism. Therefore, this altered blood glucose homeostasis may enhance the development of type 2 diabetes.

Pancreatic network control of glucagon secretion and counterregulation

Glucagon counterregulation (GCR) is a key protection against hypoglycemia compromised in insulinopenic diabetes by an unknown mechanism. In this work, we present an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of the GCR control mechanisms. Our results indicate that a pancreatic network which unifies a few explicit interactions between the major islet peptides and blood glucose (BG) can replicate the normal GCR axis and explain its impairment in diabetes. A key and novel component of this network is an alpha-cell auto-feedback, which drives glucagon pulsatility and mediates triggering of pulsatile GCR by hypoglycemia via a switch-off of the beta-cell suppression of the alpha-cells. We have performed simulations based on our models of the endocrine pancreas which explain the in vivo GCR response to hypoglycemia of the normal pancreas and the enhancement of defective pulsatile GCR in beta-cell deficiency by switch-off of intrapancreatic alpha-cell suppressing signals. The models also predicted that reduced insulin secretion decreases and delays the GCR. In conclusion, based on experimental data we have developed and validated a model of the normal GCR control mechanisms and their dysregulation in insulin deficient diabetes. One advantage of this construct is that all model components are clinically measurable, thereby permitting its transfer, validation, and application to the study of the GCR abnormalities of the human endocrine pancreas in vivo.

Presence of functional hyperpolarisation-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in clonal alpha cell lines and rat islet alpha cells

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The hyperpolarisation-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels, discovered initially in cardiac and neuronal cells, mediate the inward pacemaker current (I (f) or I (h)). Recently, we have demonstrated the presence of HCN channels in pancreatic beta cells. Here, we aim to examine the presence and function of HCN channels in glucagon-secreting alpha cells.

METHODS

RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry were used to examine the presence of HCN channels in alpha cells. Whole-cell patch-clamp, calcium imaging and glucagon secretion experiments were performed to explore the function of HCN channels in alpha cells.

RESULTS

HCN transcripts and proteins were detected in alpha-TC6 cells and dispersed rat alpha cells. Patch-clamp recording showed hyperpolarisation-activated currents in alpha-TC6 cells, which could be blocked by HCN channel inhibitor ZD7288. Glucagon secretion RIA studies demonstrated that at both low and high glucose concentrations (2 and 20 mmol/l), ZD7288 significantly enhanced glucagon secretion in alpha-TC6 and IN-R1-G9 cell lines. Conversely, activation of HCN channels by lamotrigine significantly suppressed glucagon secretion at the low glucose concentration. Calcium imaging studies showed that blockade of HCN channels by ZD7288 significantly increased intracellular calcium in alpha-TC6 cells, while lamotrigine or the Na(+) channel blocker tetrodotoxin suppressed the effect of ZD7288 on intracellular calcium. Furthermore, we found the HCN channel inhibitors ZD7288 and cilobradine both significantly increased glucagon secretion from rat islets.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

These results suggest a potential role for HCN channels in regulation of glucagon secretion via modulating Ca(2+) and Na(+) channel activities.

Insulin as a physiological modulator of glucagon secretion

Glucose homeostasis is regulated primarily by the opposing actions of insulin and glucagon, hormones that are secreted by pancreatic islets from beta-cells and alpha-cells, respectively. Insulin secretion is increased in response to elevated blood glucose to maintain normoglycemia by stimulating glucose transport in muscle and adipocytes and reducing glucose production by inhibiting gluconeogenesis in the liver. Whereas glucagon secretion is suppressed by hyperglycemia, it is stimulated during hypoglycemia, promoting hepatic glucose production and ultimately raising blood glucose levels. Diabetic hyperglycemia occurs as the result of insufficient insulin secretion from the beta-cells and/or lack of insulin action due to peripheral insulin resistance. Remarkably, excessive secretion of glucagon from the alpha-cells is also a major contributor to the development of diabetic hyperglycemia. Insulin is a physiological suppressor of glucagon secretion; however, at the cellular and molecular levels, how intraislet insulin exerts its suppressive effect on the alpha-cells is not very clear. Although the inhibitory effect of insulin on glucagon gene expression is an important means to regulate glucagon secretion, recent studies suggest that the underlying mechanisms of the intraislet insulin on suppression of glucagon secretion involve the modulation of K(ATP) channel activity and the activation of the GABA-GABA(A) receptor system. Nevertheless, regulation of glucagon secretion is multifactorial and yet to be fully understood.

K(ATP)-channels and glucose-regulated glucagon secretion

Glucagon, secreted by the alpha-cells of the pancreatic islets, is the most important glucose-increasing hormone of the body. The precise regulation of glucagon release remains incompletely defined but has been proposed to involve release of inhibitory factors from neighbouring beta-cells (paracrine control). However, the observation that glucose can regulate glucagon secretion under conditions when insulin secretion does not occur argues that the alpha-cell is also equipped with its own intrinsic (exerted within the alpha-cell itself) glucose sensing. Here we consider the possible mechanisms involved with a focus on ATP-regulated K(+)-channels and changes in alpha-cell membrane potential.

Amplification of pulsatile glucagon counterregulation by switch-off of alpha-cell-suppressing signals in streptozotocin-treated rats

Glucagon counterregulation (GCR) is a key protection against hypoglycemia that is compromised in diabetes via an unknown mechanism. To test the hypothesis that alpha-cell-inhibiting signals that are switched off during hypoglycemia amplify GCR, we studied streptozotocin (STZ)-treated male Wistar rats and estimated the effect on GCR of intrapancreatic infusion and termination during hypoglycemia of saline, insulin, and somatostatin. Times 10 min before and 45 min after the switch-off were analyzed. Insulin and somatostatin, but not saline, switch-off significantly increased the glucagon levels (P = 0.03), and the fold increases relative to baseline were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the insulin and somatostatin groups vs. the saline group. The peak concentrations were also higher in the insulin (368 pg/ml) and somatostatin (228 pg/ml) groups vs. the saline (114 pg/ml) group (P < 0.05). GCR was pulsatile in most animals, indicating a feedback regulation. After the switch-off, the number of secretory events and the total pulsatile production were lower in the saline group vs. the insulin and somatostatin groups (P < 0.05), indicating enhancement of glucagon pulsatile activity by insulin and somatostatin compared with saline. Network modeling analysis demonstrates that reciprocal interactions between alpha- and delta-cells can explain the amplification by interpreting the GCR as a rebound response to the switch-off. The model justifies experimental designs to further study the intrapancreatic network in relation to the switch-off phenomenon. The results of this proof-of-concept interdisciplinary study support the hypothesis that GCR develops as a rebound pulsatile response of the intrapancreatic endocrine feedback network to switch-off of alpha-cell-inhibiting islet signals.

Glucose inhibits glucagon secretion by a direct effect on mouse pancreatic alpha cells

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The mechanisms by which glucose regulates glucagon release are poorly understood. The present study aimed to clarify the direct effects of glucose on the glucagon-releasing alpha cells and those effects mediated by paracrine islet factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Glucagon, insulin and somatostatin release were measured from incubated mouse pancreatic islets and the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) recorded in isolated mouse alpha cells.

RESULTS

Glucose inhibited glucagon release with maximal effect at 7 mmol/l. Since this concentration corresponded to threshold stimulation of insulin secretion, it is unlikely that inhibition of glucagon secretion is mediated by beta cell factors. Although somatostatin secretion data seemed consistent with a role of this hormone in glucose-inhibited glucagon release, a somatostatin receptor type 2 antagonist stimulated glucagon release without diminishing the inhibitory effect of glucose. In islets exposed to tolbutamide plus 8 mmol/l K(+), glucose inhibited glucagon secretion without stimulating the release of insulin and somatostatin, indicating a direct inhibitory effect on the alpha cells that was independent of ATP-sensitive K(+) channels. Glucose lowered [Ca(2+)](i) of individual alpha cells independently of somatostatin and beta cell factors (insulin, Zn(2+) and gamma-aminobutyric acid). Glucose suppression of glucagon release was prevented by inhibitors of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase, which abolished the [Ca(2+)](i)-lowering effect of glucose on isolated alpha cells.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Beta cell factors or somatostatin do not seem to mediate glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion. We instead propose that glucose has a direct inhibitory effect on mouse alpha cells by suppressing a depolarising Ca(2+) store-operated current.

Alpha-cells of the endocrine pancreas: 35 years of research but the enigma remains

Glucagon, a hormone secreted from the alpha-cells of the endocrine pancreas, is critical for blood glucose homeostasis. It is the major counterpart to insulin and is released during hypoglycemia to induce hepatic glucose output. The control of glucagon secretion is multifactorial and involves direct effects of nutrients on alpha-cell stimulus-secretion coupling as well as paracrine regulation by insulin and zinc and other factors secreted from neighboring beta- and delta-cells within the islet of Langerhans. Glucagon secretion is also regulated by circulating hormones and the autonomic nervous system. In this review, we describe the components of the alpha-cell stimulus secretion coupling and how nutrient metabolism in the alpha-cell leads to changes in glucagon secretion. The islet cell composition and organization are described in different species and serve as a basis for understanding how the numerous paracrine, hormonal, and nervous signals fine-tune glucagon secretion under different physiological conditions. We also highlight the pathophysiology of the alpha-cell and how hyperglucagonemia represents an important component of the metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes mellitus. Therapeutic inhibition of glucagon action in patients with type 2 diabetes remains an exciting prospect.

Modelling the electrical activity of pancreatic alpha-cells based on experimental data from intact mouse islets

Detailed experimental data from patch clamp experiments on pancreatic alpha-cells in intact mouse islets are used to model the electrical activity associated with glucagon secretion. Our model incorporates L- and T-type Ca(2+) currents, delayed rectifying and A-type K(+) currents, a voltage-gated Na(+) current, a KATP conductance, and an unspecific leak current. Tolbutamide closes KATP channels in the alpha-cell, leading to a reduction of the resting conductance from 1.1 nS to 0.4 nS. This causes the alpha-cell to depolarise from -76 mV to 33 mV. When the basal membrane potential passes the range between -60 and -35 mV, the alpha-cell generates action potentials. At higher voltages, the alpha-cell enters a stable depolarised state and the electrical activity ceases. The effects of tolbutamide are simulated by gradually reducing the KATP conductance (g(K,ATP)) from 500 pS to 0 pS. When g(K,ATP ) is between 72 nS and 303 nS, the model generates action potentials in the same voltage range as the alpha-cell. When g(K,ATP) is lower than 72 nS, the model enters a stable depolarised state, and firing of action potentials is inhibited due to voltage-dependent inactivation of the Na(+) and T-type Ca(2+) currents. This is in accordance with experimental results. Changing the inactivation parameters to those observed in somatostatin-secreting delta-cells abolishes the depolarised inactive state, and leads to beta-cell like electrical activity with action potentials generated even after complete closure of the KATP channels.

First phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from MIN 6 cells does not always require extracellular calcium influx

To demonstrate an involvement of ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel-independent pathways in the first phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from pancreatic beta cells, the time course of GSIS from MIN6 cells was analyzed at 30-s sample intervals. GSIS was biphasic with the first phase being observed 120 to 390 s after glucose addition, peaking at 180 s, and with a shoulder at 240 to 330 s. Both 10 microM diazoxide and 3 microM verapamil completely inhibited tolbutamide- or glibenclamide-induced insulin secretion and suppressed the peak of the first phase of GSIS, but did not result in complete suppression. The shoulder following the peak was suppressed by 1 muM dantrolene. The peak, but not shoulder, disappeared under the extracellular Ca2+-free condition. A significant amount of insulin secretion remained even in the combined presence of verapamil and dantrolene. The Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin (30 nM) nearly completely inhibited the first phase release. These results suggest that the first phase of GSIS from MIN6 cells depends on both Ca2+-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The former mechanism includes the extracellular Ca2+ influx via L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel and intracellular Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum via ryanodine receptors, and the latter mechanism involves the pathways associated with Na+ channels.

Low doses of bisphenol A and diethylstilbestrol impair Ca2+ signals in pancreatic alpha-cells through a nonclassical membrane estrogen receptor within intact islets of Langerhans

Glucagon, secreted from pancreatic alpha-cells integrated within the islets of Langerhans, is involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism by enhancing the synthesis and mobilization of glucose in the liver. In addition, it has other extrahepatic effects ranging from lipolysis in adipose tissue to the control of satiety in the central nervous system. In this article, we show that the endocrine disruptors bisphenol A (BPA) and diethylstilbestrol (DES), at a concentration of 10(-9) M, suppressed low-glucose-induced intracellular calcium ion ([Ca2+]i) oscillations in alpha-cells, the signal that triggers glucagon secretion. This action has a rapid onset, and it is reproduced by the impermeable molecule estradiol (E2) conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (E-HRP). Competition studies using E-HRP binding in immunocytochemically identified alpha-cells indicate that 17beta-E2, BPA, and DES share a common membrane-binding site whose pharmacologic profile differs from the classical ER. The effects triggered by BPA, DES, and E2 are blocked by the G alpha i- and G alpha o-protein inhibitor pertussis toxin, by the guanylate cyclase-specific inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, and by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. The effects are reproduced by 8-bromo-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate and suppressed in the presence of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor KT-5823. The action of E2, BPA, and DES in pancreatic alpha-cells may explain some of the effects elicited by endocrine disruptors in the metabolism of glucose and lipid.

ATP-sensitive K+ channel-dependent regulation of glucagon release and electrical activity by glucose in wild-type and SUR1-/- mouse alpha-cells

Patch-clamp recordings and glucagon release measurements were combined to determine the role of plasma membrane ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) in the control of glucagon secretion from mouse pancreatic alpha-cells. In wild-type mouse islets, glucose produced a concentration-dependent (half-maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50]=2.5 mmol/l) reduction of glucagon release. Maximum inhibition (approximately 50%) was attained at glucose concentrations >5 mmol/l. The sulfonylureas tolbutamide (100 micromol/l) and glibenclamide (100 nmol/l) inhibited glucagon secretion to the same extent as a maximally inhibitory concentration of glucose. In mice lacking functional KATP channels (SUR1-/-), glucagon secretion in the absence of glucose was lower than that observed in wild-type islets and both glucose (0-20 mmol/l) and the sulfonylureas failed to inhibit glucagon secretion. Membrane potential recordings revealed that alpha-cells generate action potentials in the absence of glucose. Addition of glucose depolarized the alpha-cell by approximately 7 mV and reduced spike height by 30% Application of tolbutamide likewise depolarized the alpha-cell (approximately 17 mV) and reduced action potential amplitude (43%). Whereas insulin secretion increased monotonically with increasing external K+ concentrations (threshold 25 mmol/l), glucagon secretion was paradoxically suppressed at intermediate concentrations (5.6-15 mmol/l), and stimulation was first detectable at >25 mmol/l K+. In alpha-cells isolated from SUR1-/- mice, both tolbutamide and glucose failed to produce membrane depolarization. These effects correlated with the presence of a small (0.13 nS) sulfonylurea-sensitive conductance in wild-type but not in SUR1-/- alpha-cells. Recordings of the free cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) revealed that, whereas glucose lowered [Ca2+]i to the same extent as application of tolbutamide, the Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin, or the Ca2+ channel blocker Co2+ in wild-type alpha-cells, the sugar was far less effective on [Ca2+]i in SUR1-/- alpha-cells. We conclude that the KATP channel is involved in the control of glucagon secretion by regulating the membrane potential in the alpha-cell in a way reminiscent of that previously documented in insulin-releasing beta-cells. However, because alpha-cells possess a different complement of voltage-gated ion channels involved in action potential generation than the beta-cell, moderate membrane depolarization in alpha-cells is associated with reduced rather than increased electrical activity and secretion.

Palmitate stimulation of glucagon secretion in mouse pancreatic alpha-cells results from activation of L-type calcium channels and elevation of cytoplasmic calcium

We have investigated the short-term effects of the saturated free fatty acid (FFA) palmitate on pancreatic alpha-cells. Palmitate (0.5 or 1 mmol/l bound to fatty acid-free albumin) stimulated glucagon secretion from intact mouse islets 1.5- to 2-fold when added in the presence of 1-15 mmol/l glucose. Palmitate remained stimulatory in islets depolarized with 30 mmol/l extracellular K(+) or exposed to forskolin, but it did not remain stimulatory after treatment with isradipine or triacsin C. The stimulatory action of palmitate on secretion correlated with a 3.5-fold elevation of intracellular free Ca(2+) when applied in the presence of 15 mmol/l glucose, a 40% stimulation of exocytosis (measured as increases in cell capacitance), and a 25% increase in whole-cell Ca(2+) current. The latter effect was abolished by isradipine, suggesting that palmitate selectively modulates l-type Ca(2+) channels. The effect of palmitate on exocytosis was not mediated by palmitoyl-CoA, and intracellular application of this FFA metabolite decreased rather than enhanced Ca(2+)-induced exocytosis. The stimulatory effects of palmitate on glucagon secretion were paralleled by a approximately 50% inhibition of somatostatin release. We conclude that palmitate increases alpha-cell exocytosis principally by enhanced Ca(2+) entry via l-type Ca(2+) channels and, possibly, relief from paracrine inhibition by somatostatin released by neighboring delta-cells.

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

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

Glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion from rat alpha-cells is mediated by GABA released from neighboring beta-cells

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been proposed to function as a paracrine signaling molecule in islets of Langerhans. We have shown that rat beta-cells release GABA by Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis of synaptic-like microvesicles. Here we demonstrate that GABA thus released can diffuse over sufficient distances within the islet interstitium to activate GABA(A) receptors in neighboring cells. Confocal immunocytochemistry revealed the presence of GABA(A) receptors in glucagon-secreting alpha-cells but not in beta- and delta-cells. RT-PCR analysis detected transcripts of alpha(1) and alpha(4) as well as beta(1-3) GABA(A) receptor subunits in purified alpha-cells but not in beta-cells. In whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings, exogenous application of GABA activated Cl(-) currents in alpha-cells. The GABA(A) receptor antagonist SR95531 was used to investigate the effects of endogenous GABA (released from beta-cells) on pancreatic islet hormone secretion. The antagonist increased glucagon secretion at 1 mmol/l glucose twofold and completely abolished the inhibitory action of 20 mmol/l glucose on glucagon release. Basal and glucose-stimulated secretion of insulin and somatostatin were unaffected by SR95531. The L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker isradipine evoked a paradoxical stimulation of glucagon secretion. This effect was not observed in the presence of SR95531, and we therefore conclude that isradipine stimulates glucagon secretion by inhibition of GABA release.

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

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

Mechanisms of exocytosis in insulin-secreting B-cells and glucagon-secreting A-cells

In pancreatic B- and A-cells, metabolic stimuli regulate biochemical and electrical processes that culminate in Ca2+-influx and release of insulin or glucagon, respectively. Like in other (neuro)endocrine cells, Ca2+-influx triggers the rapid exocytosis of hormone-containing secretory granules. Only a small fraction of granules (<1% in insulin-secreting B-cells) can be released immediately, while the remainder requires translocation to the plasma membrane and further "priming" for release by several ATP- and Ca2+-dependent reactions. Such functional organization may account for systemic features such as the biphasic time course of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Since this release pattern is altered in type-2 diabetes mellitus, it is conceivable that disturbances in the exocytotic machinery underlie the disease. Here I will review recent data from our laboratory relevant for the understanding of these processes in insulin-secreting B-cells and glucagon-secreting A-cells and for the identification of novel targets for antidiabetic drug action. Two aspects are discussed in detail: 1) The importance of a tight interaction between L-type Ca2+-channels and the exocytotic machinery for efficient secretion; and 2) the role of intragranular acidification for the priming of secretory granules and its regulation by a granular 65-kDa sulfonylurea-binding protein.

Inhibition by nitric oxide of Ca(2+) responses in rat pancreatic alpha-cells

This study examined the effect of nitric oxide (NO) on the cytosolic free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) of alpha-cells isolated from rat pancreatic islets. When extracellular glucose was reduced from 7 to 0 mM, about half of the alpha-cells displayed [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations. Nicardipine, a Ca(2+) channel blocker, terminated the oscillations, while thapsigargine, an inhibitor of Ca(2+)-ATPase on the endoplasmic reticulum, did not affect them, suggesting that the [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations were produced by periodic Ca(2+) influx via L-type voltage-operated Ca(2+) channels. NOC 7, an NO donor, did not cause any changes in [Ca(2+)](c) at 7 mM glucose, but reduced [Ca(2+)](c) or terminated [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations at 0 or 2.8 mM glucose. A similar inhibitory effect on [Ca(2+)](c) of alpha-cells was caused by 8-bromo-cGMP. When the [Ca(2+)](c) of alpha-cells was elevated by L-arginine in the presence of N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine, an NO synthase inhibitor, the subsequent application of NOC 7 and 8-bromo-cGMP reduced [Ca(2+)](c). As there is a direct relationship between [Ca(2+)](c) and glucagon release, these results suggest that the NO-cGMP system in rat pancreatic islets reduces glucagon release by suppressing [Ca(2+)](c) responses in alpha-cells.

A nonclassical estrogen membrane receptor triggers rapid differential actions in the endocrine pancreas

Glucose homeostasis in blood is mainly maintained by insulin released from beta-cells and glucagon released from alpha-cells, both integrated within the pancreatic islet of Langerhans. The secretory processes in both types of cells are triggered by a rise in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+](i)). In this study, rapid effects of the natural hormone E2 on [Ca2+](i) were studied in both types of cells within intact islets using laser scanning confocal microscopy. alpha- And beta-cells showed opposite [Ca2+](i) responses when stimulated with physiological concentrations of 17beta-E2. Although the estrogen produced an increase in the frequency of glucose-induced [Ca2+](i) oscillations in insulin-releasing beta-cells, it prevented the low glucose-induced [Ca2+](i) oscillations in glucagon-releasing alpha-cells. The effects of 17beta-E2 on alpha-cells were mimicked by the cGMP permeable analog 8bromo-cGMP and blocked by the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) inhibitor KT5823. Evidence indicated that these were membrane actions mediated by a nonclassical ER. Both effects were rapid in onset and were reproduced by 17beta-E2 linked to horseradish peroxidase, a cell-impermeable molecule. Furthermore, these actions were not blocked by the specific ER blocker ICI 182,780. Competition studies performed with 17beta-E2 linked to horseradish peroxidase binding in alpha-cells supported the idea that the membrane receptor involved is neither ERalpha nor ERbeta. Additionally, the binding site was shared by the neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine and had the same pharmacological profile as the receptor previously described for beta-cells. Therefore, rapid estrogen actions in islet cells are initiated by a nonclassical estrogen membrane receptor.

Regulation of glucagon release in mouse -cells by KATP channels and inactivation of TTX-sensitive Na+ channels

The perforated patch whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique was applied to superficial glucagon-secreting alpha-cells in intact mouse pancreatic islets. alpha-cells were distinguished from the beta- and delta-cells by the presence of a large TTX-blockable Na+ current, a TEA-resistant transient K+ current sensitive to 4-AP (A-current) and the presence of two kinetically separable Ca2+ current components corresponding to low- (T-type) and high-threshold (L-type) Ca2+ channels. The T-type Ca2+, Na+ and A-currents were subject to steady-state voltage-dependent inactivation, which was half-maximal at -45, -47 and -68 mV, respectively. Pancreatic alpha-cells were equipped with tolbutamide-sensitive, ATP-regulated K+ (KATP) channels. Addition of tolbutamide (0.1 mM) evoked a brief period of electrical activity followed by a depolarisation to a plateau of -30 mV with no regenerative electrical activity. Glucagon secretion in the absence of glucose was strongly inhibited by TTX, nifedipine and tolbutamide. When diazoxide was added in the presence of 10 mM glucose, concentrations up to 2 microM stimulated glucagon secretion to the same extent as removal of glucose. We conclude that electrical activity and secretion in the alpha-cells is dependent on the generation of Na+-dependent action potentials. Glucagon secretion depends on low activity of KATP channels to keep the membrane potential sufficiently negative to prevent voltage-dependent inactivation of voltage-gated membrane currents. Glucose may inhibit glucagon release by depolarising the alpha-cell with resultant inactivation of the ion channels participating in action potential generation.

Regulation of glucagon release in mouse -cells by KATP channels and inactivation of TTX-sensitive Na+ channels

The perforated patch whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique was applied to superficial glucagon-secreting alpha-cells in intact mouse pancreatic islets. alpha-cells were distinguished from the beta- and delta-cells by the presence of a large TTX-blockable Na+ current, a TEA-resistant transient K+ current sensitive to 4-AP (A-current) and the presence of two kinetically separable Ca2+ current components corresponding to low- (T-type) and high-threshold (L-type) Ca2+ channels. The T-type Ca2+, Na+ and A-currents were subject to steady-state voltage-dependent inactivation, which was half-maximal at -45, -47 and -68 mV, respectively. Pancreatic alpha-cells were equipped with tolbutamide-sensitive, ATP-regulated K+ (KATP) channels. Addition of tolbutamide (0.1 mM) evoked a brief period of electrical activity followed by a depolarisation to a plateau of -30 mV with no regenerative electrical activity. Glucagon secretion in the absence of glucose was strongly inhibited by TTX, nifedipine and tolbutamide. When diazoxide was added in the presence of 10 mM glucose, concentrations up to 2 microM stimulated glucagon secretion to the same extent as removal of glucose. We conclude that electrical activity and secretion in the alpha-cells is dependent on the generation of Na+-dependent action potentials. Glucagon secretion depends on low activity of KATP channels to keep the membrane potential sufficiently negative to prevent voltage-dependent inactivation of voltage-gated membrane currents. Glucose may inhibit glucagon release by depolarising the alpha-cell with resultant inactivation of the ion channels participating in action potential generation.

Selectivity of prandial glucose regulators: nateglinide, but not repaglinide, accelerates exocytosis in rat pancreatic A-cells

The effects of the two prandial glucose regulators, repaglinide and nateglinide, on ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channel activity, membrane potential and exocytosis in single rat pancreatic A-cells were investigated using the patch-clamp technique. K(ATP) channel activity was reversibly blocked by repaglinide (K(d)=22 nM) and nateglinide (K(d)=410 nM) and this was associated with membrane depolarisation and initiation of electrical activity. The effect of repaglinide and nateglinide on stimulation of glucagon secretion by direct interference with the exocytotic machinery was investigated by the use of capacitance measurements. Nateglinide, but not repaglinide, at concentrations similar to those required to block K(ATP) channels potentiated Ca(2+)-evoked exocytosis 3-fold. In alphaTC1-9 glucagonoma cells addition of nateglinide, but not repaglinide, was associated with stimulation of glucagon secretion. These results indicate that the fast-acting insulin secretagogue nateglinide is glucagonotropic primarily by stimulating Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis.

Homologous and heterologous asynchronicity between identified alpha-, beta- and delta-cells within intact islets of Langerhans in the mouse

1. Using laser scanning confocal microscopy to image [Ca2+]i within intact murine islets of Langerhans, we analysed the [Ca2+]i signals generated by glucose in immunocytochemically identified alpha-, beta- and delta-cells. 2. Glucagon-containing alpha-cells exhibited [Ca2+]i oscillations in the absence of glucose, which petered out when islets were exposed to high glucose concentrations. 3. Somatostatin-containing delta-cells were silent in the absence of glucose but concentrations of glucose as low as 3 mM elicited oscillations. 4. In pancreatic beta-cells, a characteristic oscillatory calcium pattern was evoked when glucose levels were raised from 3 to 11 mM and this was synchronized throughout the beta-cell population. Remarkably, [Ca2+]i oscillations in non-beta-cells were completely asynchronous, both with respect to each other and to beta-cells. 5. These results demonstrate that the islet of Langerhans behaves as a functional syncytium only in terms of beta-cells, implying a pulsatile secretion of insulin. However, the lack of a co-ordinated calcium signal in alpha- and delta-cells implies that each cell acts as an independent functional unit and the concerted activity of these units results in a smoothly graded secretion of glucagon and somatostatin. Understanding the calcium signals underlying glucagon and somatostatin secretion may be of importance in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus since both glucagon and somatostatin appear to regulate insulin release in a paracrine fashion.

Characterization of a novel calcium response element in the glucagon gene

To maintain blood glucose levels within narrow limits, the synthesis and secretion of pancreatic islet hormones is controlled by a variety of extracellular signals. Depolarization-induced calcium influx into islet cells has been shown to stimulate glucagon gene transcription through the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein that binds to the glucagon cAMP response element. By transient transfection of glucagon-reporter fusion genes into islet cell lines, this study identified a second calcium response element in the glucagon gene (G2 element, from -165 to -200). Membrane depolarization was found to induce the binding of a nuclear complex with NFATp-like immunoreactivity to the G2 element. Consistent with nuclear translocation, a comigrating complex was found in cytosolic extracts of unstimulated cells, and the induction of nuclear protein binding was blocked by inhibition of calcineurin phosphatase activity by FK506. A mutational analysis of G2 function and nuclear protein binding as well as the effect of FK506 indicate that calcium responsiveness is conferred to the G2 element by NFATp functionally interacting with HNF-3beta binding to a closely associated site. Transcription factors of the NFAT family are known to cooperate with AP-1 proteins in T cells for calcium-dependent activation of cytokine genes. This study shows a novel pairing of NFATp with the cell lineage-specific transcription factor HNF-3beta in islet cells to form a novel calcium response element in the glucagon gene.

Somatostatin induces hyperpolarization in pancreatic islet alpha cells by activating a G protein-gated K+ channel

Somatostatin inhibits glucagon-secretion from pancreatic alpha cells but its underlying mechanism is unknown. In mouse alpha cells, we found that somatostatin induced prominent hyperpolarization by activating a K+ channel, which was unaffected by tolbutamide but prevented by pre-treating the cells with pertussis toxin. The K+ channel was activated by intracellular GTP (with somatostatin), GTPgammaS or Gbetagamma subunits. It was thus identified as a G protein-gated K+ (K(G)) channel. RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses suggested the K(G) channel to be composed of Kir3.2c and Kir3.4. This study identified a novel ionic mechanism involved in somatostatin-inhibition of glucagon-secretion from pancreatic alpha cells.

The changes in adenine nucleotides measured in glucose-stimulated rodent islets occur in beta cells but not in alpha cells and are also observed in human islets

Glucose metabolism by pancreatic beta and alpha cells is essential for stimulation of insulin secretion and inhibition of glucagon secretion. Studies using rodent islets have suggested that the ATP/ADP ratio serves as second messenger in beta cells. This study compared the effects of glucose on glucose oxidation ([U-14C]glucose) and adenine nucleotides (luminometric method) in purified rat alpha and beta cells. The rate of glucose oxidation at 1 mM glucose was higher in beta than alpha cells (4.5-fold, i.e. approximately 2-fold after normalization for cell size). It was more strongly stimulated by 10 mM glucose in beta cells (9-fold) than in alpha cells (5-fold). At 1 mM glucose, ATP levels were similar in both cell types, which corresponds to an approximately 2-fold higher concentration in alpha cells ( approximately 6.5 mM) than in beta cells ( approximately 3 mM). In beta cells, glucose dose-dependently increased ATP and decreased ADP levels, causing a rise in the ATP/ADP ratio from 2.4 to 11.6 at 1 and 10 mM, respectively. In alpha cells, glucose did not affect ATP and ADP levels, and the ATP/ADP ratio remained stable around 7.5. In human islets, the ATP/ADP ratio progressively increased between 1 and 10 mM glucose. In duct cells, which often contaminate human islet preparations, an increase in the ATP/ADP ratio sometimes occurred between 1 and 3 mM glucose. In conclusion, the present observations establish that the regulation of glucagon secretion by glucose does not involve changes in alpha cell adenine nucleotides and further support the role of the ATP/ADP ratio in the control of insulin secretion.

Adrenaline stimulates glucagon secretion in pancreatic A-cells by increasing the Ca2+ current and the number of granules close to the L-type Ca2+ channels

We have monitored electrical activity, voltage-gated Ca2+ currents, and exocytosis in single rat glucagon-secreting pancreatic A-cells. The A-cells were electrically excitable and generated spontaneous Na+- and Ca2+-dependent action potentials. Under basal conditions, exocytosis was tightly linked to Ca2+ influx through omega-conotoxin-GVIA-sensitive (N-type) Ca2+ channels. Stimulation of the A-cells with adrenaline (via beta-adrenergic receptors) or forskolin produced a greater than fourfold PKA-dependent potentiation of depolarization-evoked exocytosis. This enhancement of exocytosis was due to a 50% enhancement of Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels, an effect that accounted for <30% of the total stimulatory action. The remaining 70% of the stimulation was attributable to an acceleration of granule mobilization resulting in a fivefold increase in the number of readily releasable granules near the L-type Ca2+ channels.

Characterization of a novel protein kinase C response element in the glucagon gene

To maintain glucose levels in blood within narrow limits, the synthesis and secretion of pancreatic islet hormones are controlled by a variety of neural, hormonal, and metabolic messengers that act through multiple signal transduction pathways. Glucagon gene transcription is stimulated by cyclic AMP and depolarization-induced calcium influx. In this study, the effect of protein kinase C on glucagon gene transcription was investigated. After transient transfection of a glucagon-reporter fusion gene into the glucagon-producing islet cell line alphaTC2, activation of protein kinase C by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) stimulated glucagon gene transcription. By 5' deletions, 3' deletions, internal deletion, and oligonucleotide cassette insertion, the TPA-responsive element was mapped to the G2 element (from -165 to -200). Like TPA, overexpression of oncogenic Ras (V-12 Ras) stimulated G2-mediated transcription whereas overexpression of a dominant negative Ras mutant (N-17 Ras) blocked the effect of TPA. A mutational analysis of G2 function and nuclear protein binding indicated that protein kinase C and Ras responsiveness is conferred to the glucagon gene by HNF-3beta functionally interacting with a protein that binds to a closely associated site with sequence similarity to binding sites of Ets family proteins. HNF-3beta belongs to the winged-helix family of transcription factors and has been implicated in the control of cell-specific and developmental gene expression. The results of the present study show that the cell lineage-specific transcription factor HNF-3beta is an essential component of a novel protein kinase C response element in the glucagon gene.

Cytoplasmic Ca2+ in glucagon-producing pancreatic alpha-cells exposed to carbachol and agents affecting Na+ fluxes

The cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured with dual wavelength fluorometry in glucagon-producing mouse pancreatic alpha-cells loaded with the indicator fura-2. Spontaneous rhythmic activity in terms of slow oscillations from a basal level was observed at 3 mM glucose. Like in the insulin-secreting beta-cells the generation of [Ca2+]i oscillations in the alpha-cells was affected by the activity of the Na/K pump. Blocking the pump with ouabain resulted in an initial rise of [Ca2+]i followed by gradual return to the basal level. The oscillations were transformed into sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i by 10 mM L-glycine, which is cotransported with Na+. A similar but less pronounced effect was obtained when Na+ was cotransported with 10 mM of the nonmetabolizable amino acid alpha-amino-isobutyric acid. L-glycine induced sustained increase of [Ca2+]i also when the oscillatory activity was suppressed by exposing the alpha-cells to 20 mM glucose in the presence of insulin. The observation that carbachol induces a [Ca2+]i response in isolated alpha-cells calls for reconsideration of current ideas that muscarinic stimulation of glucagon release is an indirect effect mediated by adjacent beta-cells.

Neurotransmitter-induced inhibition of exocytosis in insulin-secreting beta cells by activation of calcineurin

Neurotransmitters and hormones such as somatostatin, galanin, and adrenalin reduce insulin secretion. Their inhibitory action involves direct interference with the exocytotic machinery. We have examined the molecular processes underlying this effect using high resolution measurements of cell capacitance. Suppression of exocytosis was maximal at concentrations that did not cause complete inhibition of glucose-stimulated electrical activity. This action was dependent on activation of G proteins but was not associated with inhibition of the voltage-dependent Ca2+ currents or adenylate cyclase activity. The molecular processes initiated by the agonists culminate in the activation of the Ca(2+)-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin, and suppression of the activity of this enzyme abolishes their action on exocytosis. We propose that mechanisms similar to those we report here may contribute to adrenergic and peptidergic inhibition of secretion in other neuroendocrine cells and in nerve terminals.

Suppression of Ca2+ oscillations in glucagon-producing alpha 2-cells by insulin/glucose and amino acids

The cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was continuously monitored in single glucagon-producing alpha 2-cells isolated from the mouse pancreas and later identified by immunostaining. Up to 60% of the alpha 2-cells exhibited spontaneous [Ca2+]i oscillations (frequency 0.1-0.3/min) in a medium containing 3 mM glucose. In originating from a basal level of 60-100 nM, reaching peak values of 300-400 nM and promptly disappearing after blocking voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels with methoxyverapamil, the oscillations resembled those in insulin-releasing beta-cells stimulated by glucose. The oscillatory activity was suppressed when combining elevation of glucose to 20 mM with the addition of 2-2000 ng/ml insulin. Whereas 10 mM of L-arginine or l-glycine transformed the oscillations into sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i, there was no response to 1 mM tolbutamide or 0.1-1 mM gamma-aminobutyric acid. The observations that alpha 2-cells differ from islet cells secreting insulin and somatostatin in responding to adrenaline with mobilisation of intracellular calcium can be used for their rapid identification. It is suggested that the oscillations reflect periodic entry of Ca2+ due to variations of the membrane potential.

Chromium and other insulin sensitizers may enhance glucagon secretion: implications for hypoglycemia and weight control

Increased pancreatic beta-cell secretory activity usually is associated with decreased alpha-cell activity; stimulated beta-cells release gamma-aminobutyric acid, which hyperpolarizes alpha-cells, inhibiting glucagon release. Thus, insulin secretion and glucagon secretion are usually inversely coupled. This suggests that chromium and other insulin-sensitizing modalities, by down-regulating beta-cell activity, may increase glucagon secretion. Such an effect might play a role in the documented therapeutic activity of supplemental chromium and biguanides in reactive hypoglycemia, and might also be of benefit to dieters.