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Šterk M, Zhang Y, Pohorec V, Leitgeb EP, Dolenšek J, Benninger RKP, Stožer A, Kravets V, Gosak M. Network representation of multicellular activity in pancreatic islets: Technical considerations for functional connectivity analysis. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012130. [PMID: 38739680 PMCID: PMC11115366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Within the islets of Langerhans, beta cells orchestrate synchronized insulin secretion, a pivotal aspect of metabolic homeostasis. Despite the inherent heterogeneity and multimodal activity of individual cells, intercellular coupling acts as a homogenizing force, enabling coordinated responses through the propagation of intercellular waves. Disruptions in this coordination are implicated in irregular insulin secretion, a hallmark of diabetes. Recently, innovative approaches, such as integrating multicellular calcium imaging with network analysis, have emerged for a quantitative assessment of the cellular activity in islets. However, different groups use distinct experimental preparations, microscopic techniques, apply different methods to process the measured signals and use various methods to derive functional connectivity patterns. This makes comparisons between findings and their integration into a bigger picture difficult and has led to disputes in functional connectivity interpretations. To address these issues, we present here a systematic analysis of how different approaches influence the network representation of islet activity. Our findings show that the choice of methods used to construct networks is not crucial, although care is needed when combining data from different islets. Conversely, the conclusions drawn from network analysis can be heavily affected by the pre-processing of the time series, the type of the oscillatory component in the signals, and by the experimental preparation. Our tutorial-like investigation aims to resolve interpretational issues, reconcile conflicting views, advance functional implications, and encourage researchers to adopt connectivity analysis. As we conclude, we outline challenges for future research, emphasizing the broader applicability of our conclusions to other tissues exhibiting complex multicellular dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Šterk
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Yaowen Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Viljem Pohorec
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | | | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Richard K. P. Benninger
- Department of Bioengineering, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Vira Kravets
- Department of Pediatrics, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Marko Gosak
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Alma Mater Europaea, Maribor
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Šterk M, Barać U, Stožer A, Gosak M. Both electrical and metabolic coupling shape the collective multimodal activity and functional connectivity patterns in beta cell collectives: A computational model perspective. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:054409. [PMID: 38115462 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.054409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic beta cells are coupled excitable oscillators that synchronize their activity via different communication pathways. Their oscillatory activity manifests itself on multiple timescales and consists of bursting electrical activity, subsequent oscillations in the intracellular Ca^{2+}, as well as oscillations in metabolism and exocytosis. The coordination of the intricate activity on the multicellular level plays a key role in the regulation of physiological pulsatile insulin secretion and is incompletely understood. In this paper, we investigate theoretically the principles that give rise to the synchronized activity of beta cell populations by building up a phenomenological multicellular model that incorporates the basic features of beta cell dynamics. Specifically, the model is composed of coupled slow and fast oscillatory units that reflect metabolic processes and electrical activity, respectively. Using a realistic description of the intercellular interactions, we study how the combination of electrical and metabolic coupling generates collective rhythmicity and shapes functional beta cell networks. It turns out that while electrical coupling solely can synchronize the responses, the addition of metabolic interactions further enhances coordination, the spatial range of interactions increases the number of connections in the functional beta cell networks, and ensures a better consistency with experimental findings. Moreover, our computational results provide additional insights into the relationship between beta cell heterogeneity, their activity profiles, and functional connectivity, supplementing thereby recent experimental results on endocrine networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Šterk
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Koroška cesta 160, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Taborska ulica 8, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Alma Mater Europaea, Slovenska ulica 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Uroš Barać
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Koroška cesta 160, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Taborska ulica 8, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Marko Gosak
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Koroška cesta 160, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Taborska ulica 8, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
- Alma Mater Europaea, Slovenska ulica 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
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