Glucose transporter isotypes switch in T-antigen-transformed pancreatic beta cells growing in culture and in mice

Pancreatic β-cell-specific deletion of insulin-degrading enzyme leads to dysregulated insulin secretion and β-cell functional immaturity

Inhibition of insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) has been proposed as a possible therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes treatment. However, many aspects of IDE's role in glucose homeostasis need to be clarified. In light of this, new preclinical models are required to elucidate the specific role of this protease in the main tissues related to insulin handling. To address this, here we generated a novel line of mice with selective deletion of the Ide gene within pancreatic beta-cells, B-IDE-KO mice, which have been characterized in terms of multiple metabolic end points, including blood glucose, plasma C-peptide, and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests. In addition, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was quantified in isolated pancreatic islets and beta-cell differentiation markers and insulin secretion machinery were characterized by RT-PCR. Additionally, IDE was genetically and pharmacologically inhibited in INS-1E cells and rodent and human islets, and insulin secretion was assessed. Our results show that, in vivo, life-long deletion of IDE from beta-cells results in increased plasma C-peptide levels. Corroborating these findings, isolated islets from B-IDE-KO mice showed constitutive insulin secretion, a hallmark of beta-cell functional immaturity. Unexpectedly, we found 60% increase in Glut1 (a high-affinity/low-K_m glucose transporter), suggesting increased glucose transport into the beta-cell at low glucose levels, which may be related to constitutive insulin secretion. In parallel, IDE inhibition in INS-1E and islet cells resulted in impaired insulin secretion after glucose challenge. We conclude that IDE is required for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. When IDE is inhibited, insulin secretion machinery is perturbed, causing either inhibition of insulin release at high glucose concentrations or constitutive secretion.

In vitro formation of β cell pseudoislets using islet-derived endothelial cells

β cell pseudoislets (PIs) are used for the in vitro study of β-cells in a three-dimensional (3-D) configuration. Current methods of PI induction require unique culture conditions and extensive mechanical manipulations. Here we report a novel co-culture system consisting of high passage β-cells and islet-derived endothelial cells (iECs) that results in a rapid and spontaneous formation of free-floating PIs. PI structures were formed as early as 72 h following co-culture setup and were preserved for more than 14 d. These PIs, composed solely of β-cells, were similar in size to that of native islets and showed an increased percentage of proinsulin-positive cells, increased insulin gene expression in response to glucose stimulation, and restored glucose-stimulated insulin secretion when compared to β-cells cultured as monolayers. Key extracellular matrix proteins that were absent in β-cells cultured alone were deposited by iECs on PIs and were found in and around the PIs. iEC-induced PIs are a readily available tool for examining β cell function in a native 3-D configuration and can be used for examining β-cell/iEC interactions in vitro.

Hypoxia inducible factor-1α is necessary for invasive phenotype in Vegf-deleted islet cell tumors

In the mouse model of pancreas endocrine tumor, loss of Vegf (VKO) results in dramatically decreased tumor progression; however, the residual microscopic lesions show increased invasion into surrounding exocrine tissue. Double KO mice of Vegf and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (Hif-1α) showed increased life span and suppressed tumor growth due to increased apoptosis. The increased invasiveness of tumors in VKO mice was diminished in DKO mice to the levels of wild-type mice. Compared to VKO mice, DKO mice also exhibited smaller changes in the expression levels of adhesion molecules, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and NCAM. These changes of adhesion molecules were not observed in the primary culture of the tumor cells under hypoxic conditions. Thus, the invasive phenotype observed under angiogenesis inhibition requires Hif-1α, but is not directly caused by acute hypoxia.

Anticancer targets in the glycolytic metabolism of tumors: a comprehensive review

CANCER IS A METABOLIC DISEASE AND THE SOLUTION OF TWO METABOLIC EQUATIONS: to produce energy with limited resources and to fulfill the biosynthetic needs of proliferating cells. Both equations are solved when glycolysis is uncoupled from oxidative phosphorylation in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, a process known as the glycolytic switch. This review addresses in a comprehensive manner the main molecular events accounting for high-rate glycolysis in cancer. It starts from modulation of the Pasteur Effect allowing short-term adaptation to hypoxia, highlights the key role exerted by the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor HIF-1 in long-term adaptation to hypoxia, and summarizes the current knowledge concerning the necessary involvement of aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) in cancer cell proliferation. Based on the many observations positioning glycolysis as a central player in malignancy, the most advanced anticancer treatments targeting tumor glycolysis are briefly reviewed.

Insulin secretion dynamics of free and alginate-encapsulated insulinoma cells

This study investigates the effect of alginate/poly-L: -lysine/alginate (APA) encapsulation on the insulin secretion dynamics exhibited by an encapsulated cell system. Experiments were performed with the aid of a home-built perfusion apparatus providing a 1 min temporal resolution. Insulin profiles were measured from: (i) murine insulinoma betaTC3 cells encapsulated in calcium alginate/poly-L: -lysine/alginate (APA) beads generated with high guluronic (G) or high mannuoric (M) content alginate, and (ii) murine insulinoma betaTC-tet cells encapsulated in high M APA beads and propagated in the presence and absence of tetracycline. Results show that encapsulation in APA beads did not affect the insulin secretion profile shortly post-encapsulation. However, remodeling of the beads due to cell proliferation affected the insulin secretion profiles; and inhibiting remodeling by suppressing cell growth preserved the secretion profile. The implications of these findings regarding the in vivo function of encapsulated insulin secreting cells are discussed.

Role of ATP and Pi in the mechanism of insulin secretion in the mouse insulinoma betaTC3 cell line

Understanding the biochemical events associated with glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells is of importance in gaining insight into both the pathophysiology of diabetes and the development of tissue-engineered bioartificial pancreatic substitutes. We have investigated the effects of glucose concentration on the bioenergetic status and on the metabolic and secretory functions exhibited by mouse insulinoma betaTC3 cells entrapped in calcium alginate/poly-L-lysine/alginate (APA) beads. Cells entrapped in APA beads constitute a possible implantable bioartificial pancreas for the long-term treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Our results show that, in entrapped betaTC3 cells, the oxygen consumption rate and the intracellular nucleotide triphosphate levels are unaffected by a step change in glucose concentration from 16 mM to 0 mM for 4.5 h and then back to 16 mM. The intracellular Pi level and the ammonia production rate were doubled, while insulin secretion was decreased 10-fold, upon switching from 16 mM to 0 mM glucose. The implications of these findings in the context of pancreatic beta cell biochemistry and the mechanism of the 'Fuel Hypothesis' are discussed.

Ribozyme-mediated attenuation of pancreatic beta-cell glucokinase expression in transgenic mice results in impaired glucose-induced insulin secretion

Phosphorylation of glucose to glucose 6-phosphate by glucokinase (GK; EC 2.7.1.2) serves as a glucose-sensing mechanism for regulating insulin secretion in beta cells. Recent findings of heterozygous GK gene mutations in patients with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), a form of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes characterized by autosomal dominant inheritance, have raised the possibility that a decrease in beta-cell GK activity may impair the insulin secretory response of these cells to glucose. To generate an animal model for MODY we have expressed in transgenic mice a GK antisense RNA with a ribozyme element under control of the insulin promoter. Mice in two independent lineages had about 30% of the normal islet GK activity. Insulin release in response to glucose from in situ-perfused pancreas was impaired; however, the plasma glucose and insulin levels of the mice remained normal. These mice are likely to be predisposed to type II diabetes and may manifest increased susceptibility to genetic and environmental diabetogenic factors. They provide an animal model for studying the interaction of such factors with the reduced islet GK activity.

Pancreatic beta cell line MIN6 exhibits characteristics of glucose metabolism and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion similar to those of normal islets

Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, glucose transport, glucose phosphorylation and glucose utilization have been characterized in the insulinoma cell line MIN6, which is derived from a transgenic mouse expressing the large T-antigen of SV40 in pancreatic beta cells. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion occurred progressively from 5 mmol/l glucose, reached the maximal level approximately seven-fold above the basal level at 25 mmol/l, and remained at this level up to 50 mmol/l. Glucose transport was very rapid with the half-maximal uptake of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose being reached within 15 s at 22 degrees C. Glucose phosphorylating activity in the cell homogenate was due mainly to glucokinase; the Vmax value of glucokinase activity was estimated to be 255 +/- 37 nmol.h-1.mg protein-1, constituting approximately 80% of total phosphorylating activity, whereas hexokinase activity constituted less than 20%. MIN6 cells exhibited mainly the high Km component of glucose utilization with a Vmax of 289 +/- 18 nmol.h-1.mg protein-1. Thus, glucose utilization quantitatively and qualitatively reflected glucose phosphorylation in MIN6 cells. In contrast, MIN7 cells, which exhibited only a small increase in insulin secretion in response to glucose, had 4.7-fold greater hexokinase activity than MIN6 cells with a comparable activity of glucokinase. These characteristics of MIN6 cells are very similar to those of isolated islets, indicating that this cell line is an appropriate model for studying the mechanism of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells.

Pancreatic beta cells cultured from individual preneoplastic foci in a multistage tumorigenesis pathway: a potentially general technique for isolating physiologically representative cell lines

Culturing and comparing the discrete stages of tumorigenesis provide a route to defining important components of the cancer phenotype and, in addition, present the opportunity to establish cell cultures more representative of normal cells than the ultimate malignant cancer cells. Herein we report that preneoplastic foci in one multistep tumorigenesis pathway can be cultured in vitro and show that they preserve distinctive characteristics of the normal cells from which they arose, pancreatic beta cells. In the RIP1-Tag2 line of transgenic mice, which express the simian virus 40 T antigen in insulin-producing beta cells, pancreatic islets develop into vascularized tumors in a multistage pathway. We established conditions for reproducible derivation of beta-cell lines from individual hyperplastic islets that have not yet developed into solid tumors. Most of these cell lines, designated beta HC, release insulin at physiological concentrations of glucose. In contrast to tumor-derived lines (beta TC), which are not properly regulated, the ability of the beta HC lines to respond correctly to glucose correlated with maintenance of normally depressed levels of low-Km hexokinases. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), an early autoantigen in type I diabetes, was detected in most of the beta HC lines. The relative levels of the two forms of this enzyme (GAD65 and GAD67) varied significantly between the different cell lines, suggesting independent regulation. Class I major histocompatibility complex antigens were detected on the beta HC cells, and the levels of surface major histocompatibility complex expression correlated with their capacity to serve as targets in a cytotoxic T-cell killing assay. The beta HC lines will be of value for studies of beta-cell physiology, autoantigenicity, and tumor development. This work suggests the possibility of culturing preneoplastic stages of other cancers, both to address the mechanisms of transformation and to provide a source of cells that maintain important qualities of their normal progenitors.

Pancreatic beta cells cultured from individual preneoplastic foci in a multistage tumorigenesis pathway: a potentially general technique for isolating physiologically representative cell lines

Culturing and comparing the discrete stages of tumorigenesis provide a route to defining important components of the cancer phenotype and, in addition, present the opportunity to establish cell cultures more representative of normal cells than the ultimate malignant cancer cells. Herein we report that preneoplastic foci in one multistep tumorigenesis pathway can be cultured in vitro and show that they preserve distinctive characteristics of the normal cells from which they arose, pancreatic beta cells. In the RIP1-Tag2 line of transgenic mice, which express the simian virus 40 T antigen in insulin-producing beta cells, pancreatic islets develop into vascularized tumors in a multistage pathway. We established conditions for reproducible derivation of beta-cell lines from individual hyperplastic islets that have not yet developed into solid tumors. Most of these cell lines, designated beta HC, release insulin at physiological concentrations of glucose. In contrast to tumor-derived lines (beta TC), which are not properly regulated, the ability of the beta HC lines to respond correctly to glucose correlated with maintenance of normally depressed levels of low-Km hexokinases. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), an early autoantigen in type I diabetes, was detected in most of the beta HC lines. The relative levels of the two forms of this enzyme (GAD65 and GAD67) varied significantly between the different cell lines, suggesting independent regulation. Class I major histocompatibility complex antigens were detected on the beta HC cells, and the levels of surface major histocompatibility complex expression correlated with their capacity to serve as targets in a cytotoxic T-cell killing assay. The beta HC lines will be of value for studies of beta-cell physiology, autoantigenicity, and tumor development. This work suggests the possibility of culturing preneoplastic stages of other cancers, both to address the mechanisms of transformation and to provide a source of cells that maintain important qualities of their normal progenitors.

Glucose sensing in pancreatic islet beta cells: the key role of glucokinase and the glycolytic intermediates

The beta cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans respond to changes in glucose concentration by varying the rate of insulin synthesis and secretion. Beta cells sense glucose concentration by the levels of the products of glucose catabolism. Distinctive beta-cell proteins glucose transporter 2 and glucokinase catalyze the first two steps in beta-cell glucose catabolism. To test whether either protein controls the sensitivity of the beta cell to glucose by controlling the rate of glucose catabolism, we used gene-transfer techniques to express the isoenzymes glucose transporter 1 and hexokinase I in beta cells and measured the response to glucose of the insulin gene promoter. Cells expressing glucose transporter 1 do not differ significantly from control cells, but in cells expressing hexokinase I, insulin promoter activity increases, reaches a maximum by 1 mM glucose, and does not respond to changes in glucose concentration within the physiologic range. We conclude that glucokinase catalyzes the rate-limiting step of glucose catabolism in beta cells and, therefore, acts as the glucose sensor. Pyruvate, the end product of anaerobic glycolysis, is readily oxidized by mitochondria in normal beta cells but cannot substitute for glucose as a stimulator of insulin synthesis and secretion. We found that pyruvate can stimulate the insulin promoter in cells expressing the bacterial gluconeogenic enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, which allows the conversion of pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate and the earlier intermediates of glycolysis. We conclude that the intermediates of anaerobic glycolysis between fructose 1,6-diphosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate are essential for beta-cell glucose sensing.

[Val12] HRAS downregulates GLUT2 in beta cells of transgenic mice without affecting glucose homeostasis

Glucose-induced insulin release from pancreatic beta cells depends on the beta-cell metabolism of glucose, which generates intracellular signals for secretion. The beta-cell glucose transporter isotype GLUT2 and the glucose phosphorylating enzyme glucokinase have both been implicated in coupling insulin secretion to extracellular glucose levels. Here we present evidence that a pronounced decrease in beta-cell GLUT2 has no immediate effect on glucose homeostasis. Analysis of transgenic mice overexpressing human [Val12]HRAS oncoprotein under control of the insulin promoter reveals a great reduction in plasma-membrane GLUT2 levels. These mice are nonetheless able to maintain normal fed and fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels for a period of several months. Insulin secretion studied in isolated islets and the perfused pancreas is characterized by a normal incremental response to increasing glucose concentrations. Glucose metabolism, as measured by glucose phosphorylation and oxidation in isolated islets, shows a normal dose dependence on extracellular glucose concentrations. These findings suggest that normal GLUT2 expression in beta cells is not essential for glucose sensing. The transgenic mice provide an experimental system for studying the role of glucose phosphorylation in regulation of insulin release in the absence of GLUT2.