Physiologic implications of phosphoinositides and phospholipase C in the regulation of insulin secretion

The secretion of insulin from the pancreatic beta-cell must be commensurate to satisfy the insulin requirements of the organism. This cell has a great flexibility to meet these requirements which are increased not only by the ingestion of nutrients (increase of plasma glucose) but also by the sensitivity of target tissues to insulin as well. The insulin secretion is a complex biochemical event regulated by a host of potential second messenger molecules acting alone or in concert. These events include the cation calcium, which gains access to the beta-cell via the opening of voltage-regulated channels, cAMP and phosphoinositide-derived second messenger molecules, generated as a consequence of phospholipase C (PLC) activation. In this review, we focused on phosphoinositides, PLC/Phosphokinase C (PKC) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) cascade in the regulation of insulin secretion. We also described our studies on the mechanism of the beta-cell desensitization using perifused islets. It is suggested that a failure of the signaling events contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes in which the beta-cell can no longer secrete the required amounts of insulin. It has been observed that chronic exposure to high glucose desensitizes the beta-cells to subsequent stimulation. We suggested that the failure of PLC activation can be attributed in the impairment of insulin secretion by chronic sustained glucose exposure. It may contribute to the vicious circle of impaired insulin secretion leading up to diabetes.

Enhanced activation of phospholipase C and insulin secretion from islets incubated in fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin

Incubation in 100 micromol/L fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin (FAF-BSA) significantly amplifies insulin secretion from isolated, perifused rat islets. When compared with the responses of control islets incubated in 100 micromol/L radioimmunoassay-grade BSA, insulin secretion rates were increased 2- to 3-fold when these islets were stimulated with 10 mmol/L glucose alone or with the combination of 10 mmol/L glucose, 15 mmol/L KCl, and 100 micromol/L diazoxide. These amplified secretory responses were paralleled by significant increases in the phospholipase C (PLC) activation monitored by fractional increases in (3)H-inositol efflux from these same islets. Amplified PLC responses were also observed with the cholinergic agonist carbachol (50 micromol/L). No differences in the secretory responses to the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (200 nmol/L) could be detected between control and FAF-BSA-pretreated rat islets. Mouse islets were also immune to the amplifying impact of this treatment protocol. These findings demonstrate that short-term incubation in FAF-BSA significantly augments the activation of PLC in rat islets by a number of agonists. This proximal event provides the impetus for the distal activation of protein kinase C. If applicable to human islets, this manipulation may provide a mechanism to enhance the secretory responses from islets destined for transplantation, thus improving their in vivo secretory capacity.

Biphasic insulin secretion from freshly isolated or cultured, perifused rodent islets: comparative studies with rats and mice

In the present report, we compared the insulin secretory responses of freshly isolated, perifused rat and mouse islets to glucose. Prestimulatory glucose levels were changed to assess their influence on the subsequent secretory responses. Additional studies included experiments with the incretin factor glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), the cholinergic agonist carbachol, and the alpha2 agonist epinephrine. Our findings demonstrate that under conditions where glucose (8.5-11.1 mmol/L) evokes a dramatic biphasic insulin secretory response from perifused rat islets, mouse islets exhibit little response. Increasing the prestimulatory glucose level to 8.5 mmol/L dramatically distorts subsequently measured glucose-induced insulin secretion from rat islets but allows the evocation of a modest but clear biphasic response from mouse islets in response to 30 mmol/L, but not 11.1 or 16.7 mmol/L, glucose. In the presence of a minimally effective glucose level (10 mmol/L), mouse islets remain exquisitely sensitive to the combined stimulatory effects of GLP-1 (2.5 nmol/L) plus carbachol (0.5 micromol/L) and to the inhibitory influence of epinephrine (10 nmol/L). Short-term culture of rat islets in CMRL 1066 containing 5.6 mmol/L glucose resulted in a significant decrease in the secretory response to 11.1 mmol/L glucose, whereas the same manipulation improved mouse islet responses. It is concluded that the process of collagenase isolating islets does not alter mouse islet sensitivity in any adverse way and that increasing the prestimulatory glucose level can indeed alter the pattern of insulin secretion in either a positive or negative manner depending upon the species being investigated. Prior short-term culture of rodent islets differentially affects secretion from these 2 species.

Divergent effects of epinephrine and prostaglandin E2 on glucose-induced insulin secretion from perifused rat islets

The impact of the catecholamine epinephrine and the postulated inhibitory second messenger prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) on the kinetics and magnitude of glucose-induced insulin secretion were compared and contrasted. In agreement with a number of studies, epinephrine was a most effective antagonist of glucose-induced insulin secretion. Dose-response studies using 8 to 10 mmol/L glucose as stimulant established that levels as low as 1 to 10 nmol/L of the catecholamine were effective at inhibiting release. Glucose (20 mmol/L) caused an approximately 25-fold increase in insulin secretion, an effect that was completely abolished by 1 micromol/L epinephrine. Under conditions where it completely abolished 20 mmol/L glucose-induced insulin release, epinephrine (1 micromol/L) reduced, but did not abolish, the stimulatory effect of glucose on phospholipase C activation. Chronic 3-hour exposure to 10 mmol/L glucose alone desensitized the islet to subsequent stimulation by glucose. Despite its ability to completely suppress secretion to 10 mmol/L glucose, epinephrine failed to protect the islet from hyperglycemia-induced desensitization. In sharp contrast to epinephrine, PGE(2) at levels ranging from 1 to 10 micromol/L had no discernible adverse effect on 10 mmol/L glucose-induced secretion. These findings suggest that multiple mechanisms contribute to the inhibitory impact of epinephrine on release and, in conjunction with other studies, cast serious doubt on the concept that PGE(2) plays any significant inhibitory role in the regulation of glucose-induced secretion.

Desensitization of the pancreatic beta-cell: effects of sustained physiological hyperglycemia and potassium

The impact of modest but prolonged (3 h) exposure to high physiological glucose concentrations and hyperkalemia on the insulin secretory and phospholipase C (PLC) responses of rat pancreatic islets was determined. In acute studies, glucose (5-20 mM) caused a dose-dependent increase in secretion with maximal release rates 25-fold above basal secretion. When measured after 3 h of exposure to 5-10 mM glucose, subsequent stimulation of islets with 10-20 mM glucose during a dynamic perifusion resulted in dose-dependent decrements in secretion and PLC activation. Acute hyperkalemia (15-30 mM) stimulated calcium-dependent increases in both insulin secretion and PLC activation; however, prolonged hyperkalemia resulted in a biochemical and secretory lesion similar to that induced by sustained modest hyperglycemia. Glucose- (8 mM) desensitized islets retained significant sensitivity to stimulation by either carbachol or glucagon-like peptide-1. These findings emphasize the vulnerability of the beta-cell to even moderate sustained hyperglycemia and provide a biochemical rationale for achieving tight glucose control in diabetic patients. They also suggest that PLC activation plays a critically important role in the physiological regulation of glucose-induced secretion and in the desensitization of release that follows chronic hyperglycemia or hyperkalemia.

Acute and chronic effects of glucose and carbachol on insulin secretion and phospholipase C activation: studies with diazoxide and atropine

The acute and chronic effects of 20 mM glucose and 10 microM carbachol on beta-cell responses were investigated. Acute exposure of rat islets to 20 mM glucose increased glucose usage rates and resulted in a large insulin-secretory response during a dynamic perifusion. The secretory, but not the metabolic, effect of 20 mM glucose was abolished by simultaneous exposure to 100 microM diazoxide. Glucose (20 mM) significantly increased inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation, an index of phospholipase C (PLC) activation, from [(3)H]inositol-prelabeled islets. Diazoxide, but not atropine, abolished this effect as well. Unlike 20 mM glucose, 10 microM carbachol (in the presence of 5 mM glucose) increased IP accumulation but had no effect on insulin secretion or glucose (5 mM) metabolism. The IP effect was abolished by 50 microM atropine but not by diazoxide. Chronic 3-h exposure of islets to 20 mM glucose or 10 microM carbachol profoundly reduced both the insulin-secretory and PLC responses to a subsequent 20 mM glucose stimulus. The adverse effects of chronic glucose exposure were abolished by diazoxide but not by atropine. In contrast, the adverse effects of carbachol were abolished by atropine but not by diazoxide. Prior 3 h of exposure to 20 mM glucose or carbachol had no inhibitory effect on glucose metabolism. Significant secretory responses could be evoked from 20 mM glucose- or carbachol-pretreated islets by the inclusion of forskolin. These findings support the concept that an early event in the evolution of beta-cell desensitization is the impaired activation of islet PLC.

Dexamethasone suppresses phospholipase C activation and insulin secretion from isolated rat islets

Dexamethasone inhibits insulin secretion from isolated islets. In the present experiments, possible underlying biochemical mechanisms responsible for defective secretion were explored. Dexamethasone (1 micromol/L) had no immediate deleterious effect on 15 mmol/L glucose-induced insulin release from perifused rat islets. However, a 3-hour preincubation period with 1 micromol/L dexamethasone resulted in parallel reductions in both the first (64%) and second phases (74%) of 15 mmol/L glucose-induced insulin secretion monitored during a dynamic perifusion. When measured after the perifusion, there were no differences in insulin content or in the capacity of control or dexamethasone-treated islets to use glucose. Dexamethasone (1 micromol/L) preexposure also reduced phorbol ester- and potassium-induced secretion. In additional experiments, islets were labeled for 3 hours with 3H-inositol in the presence or absence of 1 micromol/L dexamethasone. The steroid did not affect total 3H-inositol incorporation during the labeling period. However, the capacity of 15 mmol/L glucose, 30 mmol/L KCl, and 100 micromol/L carbachol to activate phospholipase C (PLC), monitored by the accumulation of labeled inositol phosphates, was significantly reduced in dexamethasone-pretreated islets. Inclusion of the nuclear glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU486 (mifepristone, 10 micromol/L) abolished the adverse effects of dexamethasone on both glucose-induced inositol phosphate accumulation and insulin secretion. Quantitative Western blot analyses revealed that the islet contents of PLCdelta1, PLCbeta1, beta2, beta3, and protein kinase C alpha were unaffected by dexamethasone pretreatment. These findings demonstrate that dexamethasone pretreatment impairs insulin secretion via a genomic action and that impaired activation of the PLC/protein kinase C signaling system is involved in the evolution of its inhibitory effect on secretion.

Comparative effects of amino acids and glucose on insulin secretion from isolated rat or mouse islets

Glucose and the combination of leucine and glutamine were used to stimulate insulin secretion from rat islets during a dynamic perifusion and the responses obtained were compared with those elicited from mouse islets under identical conditions. In rat islets, glucose (15 mM) or the amino acid combination of 10 mM glutamine plus 20 mM leucine were most efficacious and peak second-phase insulin release responses were 20- to 30-fold above prestimulatory rates. In contrast to rat islet responses, sustained second-phase insulin secretory responses to the same agonists were minimally increased 1- to 2-fold from mouse islets. Parallel studies demonstrated that phospholipase C (PLC) was markedly activated in rat, but not mouse, islets by both high glucose concentrations and the amino acid combination. Additional studies documented that glucose and amino acid responses of both rat and mouse islets were amplified by carbachol or forskolin. However, wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, amplified only the responses to glucose leaving the responses to the amino acid mixture unaltered. These observations support the concept that mitochondrial metabolism alone is minimally effective in stimulating insulin secretion from islets. The activation of the supplementary second messenger systems (PLC and/or cAMP) appears essential for the emergence of their full secretory potential. The mechanism regulating the potency and specificity of wortmannin's impact on glucose-induced secretion remains to be identified; however a unique mechanism is supported by these findings.

Aggregation and lack of secretion of most newly synthesized proinsulin in non-beta-cell lines

Myoblasts transfected with HB10D insulin secrete more hormone than those transfected with wild-type insulin, as published previously, indicating that production of wild-type insulin is not efficient in these cells. The ability of non-beta-cells to produce insulin was examined in several cell lines. In clones of neuroendocrine GH(4)C(1) cells stably transfected with proinsulin, two thirds of (35)S-proinsulin was degraded within 3 h of synthesis, whereas (35)S-prolactin was stable. In transiently transfected neuroendocrine AtT20 cells, half of (35)S-proinsulin was degraded within 3 h after synthesis, whereas (35)S-GH was stable. In transiently transfected fibroblast COS cells, (35)S-proinsulin was stable for longer, but less than 10% was secreted 8 h after synthesis. Proinsulin formed a concentrated patch detected by immunofluorescence in transfected cells that did not colocalize with calreticulin or BiP, markers for the endoplasmic reticulum, but did colocalize with membrin, a marker for the cis-medial Golgi complex. Proinsulin formed a Lubrol-insoluble aggregate within 30 min after synthesis in non-beta-cells but not in INS-1E cells, a beta-cell line that normally produces insulin. More than 45% of (35)S-HB10D proinsulin was secreted from COS cells 3 h after synthesis, and this mutant formed less Lubrol-insoluble aggregate in the cells than did wild-type hormone. These results indicate that proinsulin production from these non-beta-cells is not efficient and that proinsulin aggregates in their secretory pathways. Factors in the environment of the secretory pathway of beta-cells may prevent aggregation of proinsulin to allow efficient production.

Effects of muscarinic receptor type 3 knockout on mouse islet secretory responses

The impact of muscarinic type 3 receptor knockout (M3KO) on the cholinergic regulation of insulin secretion and phospholipase C (PLC) activation was determined. Islets isolated from control, wild-type mice or heterozygotes responded with comparable insulin secretory responses to 15 mM glucose. This response was markedly amplified by the inclusion of 10 microM carbachol. While 15 mM glucose-induced release remained similar to wild-type and heterozygote responses in M3KO mice, the stimulatory impact of carbachol was abolished. Stimulation with 15 mM glucose plus 50 microM carbachol increased fractional efflux rates of myo-[2-3H]inositol from control wild-type and heterozygote islets but not from M3KO islets. Fed plasma insulin levels of M3KO mice were reduced 68% when compared to values obtained from combined wild-type and heterozygote animals. These studies support the conclusion that the M3 receptor in islets is coupled to PLC activation and insulin secretion and that cholinergic stimulation of the islets may play an important role in the regulation of plasma insulin levels.

Effects of prior 5-hydroxytryptamine exposure on rat islet insulin secretory and phospholipase C responses

Glucose-induced insulin secretion is inhibited by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT). In the present studies the specificity of 5HT inhibition of release and the potential biochemical mechanisms involved were investigated. Dose-dependent inhibition of 15 mM glucose-induced secretion was induced by a prior 3 h incubation with 5HT. At the highest 5HT concentration (500 microM) employed, both first and second phase responses to 15 mM glucose were reduced 50-60%. In addition, this level (500 microM) of 5HT virtually abolished 10 mM glucose-induced secretion. In contrast, secretion in response to the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (500 nM) was immune to 500 microM 5HT pre-treatment. Glucose usage rates were comparable in both control and 500 microM 5HT-pretreated islets. However, the generation of inositol phosphates and the efflux of 3H-inositol from 3H-inositol-prelabeled islets in response to stimulatory glucose were impaired in parallel with insulin secretion. Based on these observations the following conclusions were reached: (1) 5HT impairs glucose-induced insulin release by altering glucose-induced activation of phospholipase C. (2) Biochemical events distal to phospholipase C remain intact despite this proximal biochemical lesion. (3) Amperometric analysis of 5HT release from 5HT-pretreated islets must take into consideration its profound adverse impact on glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Contrasting effects of nateglinide and rosiglitazone on insulin secretion and phospholipase C activation

When stimulated with 6 mmol/L glucose, a minimal, transient insulin secretory response was observed from perifused rat islets. The inclusion of 5 micromol/L nateglinide significantly amplified release. Elevating glucose to 8 or 10 mmol/L resulted in an increasing insulin secretory response that was again markedly potentiated by the further inclusion of nateglinide. The calcium channel antagonist, nitrendipine, abolished secretion to 8 mmol/L glucose plus nateglinide. Unlike nateglinide, rosiglitazone (5 micromol/L), troglitazone (1 to 10 micromol/L), or darglitazone (10 micromol/L), 3 peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) agonists, were without any acute stimulatory effect on insulin release in the simultaneous presence of 6 to 10 mmol/L glucose. Glucose (8 to 10 mmol/L) significantly increased inositol phosphate accumulation. Nateglinide amplified this response. Nitrendipine reduced inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation in response to the combination of 8 mmol/L glucose plus 5 micromol/L nateglinide. Rosiglitazone had no effect on IP accumulation. These results confirm the efficacy of nateglinide as a potent glucose-dependent insulin secretagogue that exerts its stimulatory effect, at least in part, through the activation of phospholipase C (PLC). No acute potentiating effect of rosiglitazone on either insulin secretion or IP accumulation could be detected in isolated rat islets.

Inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase amplify insulin release from islets of lean but not obese mice

We examined the effects of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibition by wortmannin or LY294002 on glucose-induced secretion from mouse islets. Islets were collagenase isolated and perifused or subjected to Western blot analyses and probed for insulin receptor-signaling components. In agreement with previous studies, mouse islets, when compared with rat islets, were minimally responsive to 10 mM glucose stimulation. The inclusion of 50 nM wortmannin or 10 microM LY294002 significantly amplified 10 mM glucose-induced release from mouse islets. The effect of wortmannin was abolished by the calcium channel antagonist nitrendipine or by lowering the glucose level to 3 mM. Wortmannin had no effect on 10 mM alpha-ketoisocaproate-induced secretion. In contrast to its potentiating effect on islets from CD-1 mice, wortmannin had no effect on 10 mM glucose-induced release from ob/ob mouse islets. Western blot analyses revealed the presence of the insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate proteins 1 and 2 and PI3K in CD-1 islets. These results support the concept that a PI3K-dependent signaling pathway exists in beta-cells and that it may function to restrain glucose-induced insulin secretion from beta-cells. They also suggest that, as insulin resistance develops in peripheral tissues, a potential result of impaired PI3K activation, the same biochemical anomaly in beta-cells promotes a linked increase in insulin secretion to maintain glucose homeostasis.

Effects of glucose, exogenous insulin, and carbachol on C-peptide and insulin secretion from isolated perifused rat islets

Isolated perifused rat islets were stimulated with glucose, exogenous insulin, or carbachol. C-peptide and, where possible, insulin secretory rates were measured. Glucose (8-10 mm) induced dose-dependent and kinetically similar patterns of C-peptide and insulin secretion. The addition of 100 nm bovine insulin had no effect on C-peptide release in response to 8-10 mm glucose stimulation. The addition of 100 nm bovine insulin or 500 nm human insulin together with 3 mm glucose had no stimulatory effect on C-peptide secretion rates from perifused rat islets. Stimulation with carbachol plus 7 mm glucose enhanced both C-peptide and insulin secretion, and the further addition of 100 nm bovine insulin had no inhibitory effect on C-peptide secretory rates under this condition. Perifusion studies using pharmacologic inhibitors (genistein and wortmannin) of the kinases thought to be involved in insulin signaling potentiated 10 mm glucose-induced secretion. The results support the following conclusions. 1) C-peptide release rates accurately reflect insulin secretion rates from collagenase-isolated, perifused rat islets. 2) Exogenously added bovine insulin exerts no inhibitory effect on release to several agonists including glucose. 3) In the presence of 3 mm glucose, exogenously added bovine or human insulin do not stimulate endogenous insulin secretion.

Are 5-hydroxytryptamine-preloaded beta-cells an appropriate physiologic model system for establishing that insulin stimulates insulin secretion?

The release and oxidation of 5-hydroxytryptamine from 5-hydroxytryptamine-preloaded beta-cells has been used as a surrogate marker for insulin secretion. Findings made using this methodology have been used to support the concept that insulin stimulates its own release. In the present studies, the effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine on stimulated insulin secretion from isolated perifused rat islets was determined. When added together with stimulatory glucose, 5-hydroxytryptamine (0.5 mm) significantly reduced both phases of 8 mm glucose-induced secretion and reduced the first phase of 15 mm glucose-induced release by 60% without any effect on sustained insulin release rates. Preloading of beta-cells with 0.5 mm 5-hydroxytryptamine for 3 h resulted in a more severe impairment of 15 mm glucose-induced secretion. First and second phase release rates were reduced by 70 and 55%, respectively. In addition, this pretreatment protocol also abolished 200 microm tolbutamide-induced insulin secretion from perifused islets. These findings confirm that 5-hydroxytryptamine is a powerful inhibitor of stimulated insulin secretion. The responses of 5-hydroxytryptamine-preloaded beta-cells may not accurately reflect the biochemical events occurring during the physiologic regulation of insulin secretion. The suggestion that insulin stimulates its own secretion based exclusively on amperometric measurements should be reconsidered.

Effects of protein kinase C inhibitors on insulin secretory responses from rodent pancreatic islets

The contribution of protein kinase C (PKC) to the regulation of insulin release from perifused islets was explored using staurosporine or Gö 6976 to inhibit the enzyme. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 500 nM) addition to rat islets resulted in a slowly rising insulin secretory response. While minimally effective alone, the addition of 500 nM forskolin together with PMA resulted in a synergistic secretory response. The conventional protein-kinase-C isoform inhibitor Gö 6976 (1 microM) completely abolished PMA-induced secretion. However, the combination of forskolin plus PMA significantly enhanced secretion from Gö 6976-treated islets. Similar to previous findings made with staurosporine, Gö 6976 (1 microM) enhanced the first phase and reduced the second phase of 20 mM glucose-induced secretion from rat islets. Additional studies were conducted comparing the secretory responses of perifused rat or mouse islets to glucose. Dramatic species differences to the hexose were observed. For example, 35-40 min after the onset of stimulation with 8, 10 or 20 mM glucose insulin release rates from mouse islets averaged 32+/-6, 84+/-27 or 131+/-17 pg/islet per minute, respectively. The responses from rat islets averaged 115+/-28, 561+/-112 or 800+/-46 pg/islet per minute at this time point. Islet insulin stores were comparable in both species. The addition of 5 microM carbachol, 500 nM forskolin or 20 mM KCl to mouse islets together with 20 mM glucose resulted in a dramatic augmentation of insulin output. The responses to carbachol or forskolin, but not KCl, were inhibited by 50 nM staurosporine. However, staurosporine (50 nM) reduced insulin secretion from rat islets stimulated with KCl plus 20 mM glucose. Gö 6976 potentiated 20 mM glucose-induced secretion from mouse islets. These studies demonstrate that 1 microM Gö 6976 completely abolishes PMA-induced release from rat islets and has a modest inhibitory effect on 20 mM glucose-induced secretion. Gö 6976 (1 microM) had no inhibitory effect on 20 mM glucose-induced release from mouse islets. These studies also confirm that staurosporine inhibits both PKC- and PKA-mediated events in islets and this lack of specificity may account for its more pronounced inhibition of release when compared to Gö 6976. Finally, significant species differences to PKC inhibitors exist between mouse and rat islets.

Insulin secretion and IP levels in two distant lineages of the genus Mus: comparisons with rat islets

Islet responses of two different Mus geni, the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus) and a phylogenetically more ancient species (Mus caroli), were measured and compared with the responses of islets from rats (Rattus norvegicus). A minimal and flat second-phase response to 20 mM glucose was evoked from M. musculus islets, whereas a large rising second-phase response characterized rat islets. M. caroli responses were intermediate between these two extremes; a modest rising second-phase response to 20 mM glucose was observed. Prior, brief stimulation of rat islets with 20 mM glucose results in an amplified insulin secretory response to a subsequent 20 mM glucose challenge. No such potentiation or priming was observed from M. musculus islets. In contrast, M. caroli islets displayed a modest twofold potentiated first-phase response upon subsequent restimulation with 20 mM glucose. Inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation in response to 20 mM glucose stimulation in [(3)H]inositol-prelabeled rat or mouse islets paralleled the insulin secretory responses. The divergence in 20 mM glucose-induced insulin release between these species may be attributable to differences in phospholipase C-mediated IP accumulation in islets.

A link between insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia: inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase augment glucose-induced insulin secretion from islets of lean, but not obese, rats

Wortmannin (5-100 nM), a specific phosphatidyinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, augmented 8 mM glucose-induced insulin secretion from control Sprague Dawley rat islets in a dose-dependent manner. This effect persisted after its removal from the perifusion medium; however, this augmenting effect was reduced by the calcium channel inhibitor nitrendipine or by lowering the glucose level to 3 mM. Wortmannin amplified insulin release induced by the combination of 6-8 mM glucose plus 1 microM carbachol; however, it had no effect on phorbol ester- or alpha-ketoisocaproate-induced insulin secretion. The potentiating action of wortmannin on 8 mM glucose-induced release was duplicated by LY294002. Wortmannin had no effect on glucose usage rates or inositol phosphate accumulation in [3H]inositol-prelabeled islets. Of particular significance, although 50 nM wortmannin potentiated 8 mM glucose-induced secretion from islets of lean Zucker control rats, the fungal metabolite had little effect on 8 mM glucose-induced release from islets of insulin-resistant Zucker fatty rats. These findings support the concept that the same biochemical process, inhibition ofphosphatidyinositol 3-kinase, that causes peripheral tissue insulin resistance enhances beta-cell sensitivity to glucose and produces a compensatory increase in insulin secretion from these cells. The efficacy of wortmannin depends on the in vivo status of the donor's insulin signaling pathways. This elegant biochemical control mechanism in beta-cells ensures the maintenance of glucose homeostasis despite a reduction in insulin action on peripheral tissues.

Insulin secretion, inositol phosphate levels, and phospholipase C isozymes in rodent pancreatic islets

During a dynamic perifusion, 20 mmol/L glucose, 20 mmol/L alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC) or 20 mmol/L methyl pyruvate (MP) stimulate biphasic insulin secretory responses from collagenase-isolated rat islets. Peak first-phase insulin responses were comparable for all 3 nutrient agonists. The largest second-phase insulin secretory response was evoked by 20 mmol/L glucose (30-fold above basal release rates), and this response was more sustained than that observed with either 20 mmol/L KIC or 20 mmol/L MP. When mouse islets were perifused under similar conditions, KIC stimulated the largest first-phase insulin response, while comparable acute insulin secretion rates were obtained with glucose- or MP-stimulated islets. In contrast to rat islets, the sustained second phase of insulin secretion from mouse islets was minimal regardless of the nutrient secretagogue used. This anomalous response of mouse islets as compared with rat islets could not be ascribed to any obvious difference in the glucose usage rate or insulin content between these 2 species. Glucose, KIC, or MP stimulated significant increases in 3H-inositol phosphates in rat islets. Significantly smaller increases were measured in mouse islets. Comparative Western blot analyses showed pronounced species differences in the expression of phospholipase Cbeta1 (PLCbeta1), PLCbeta2, PLCbeta3, and PLCdelta1 but not PLCgamma1 or protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) between rat and mouse islets. PLCbeta4 or PLCdelta2 could not be identified in either species. These findings are consistent with the concept that the underexpression of the nutrient-activated PLC isozyme may account for the minimal inositol phosphate (IP) and second-phase insulin secretory response from mouse islets.

Glucose-induced insulin secretion from islets of fasted rats: modulation by alternate fuel and neurohumoral agonists

Islets from fed and 24-h-fasted rats were studied immediately after collagenase isolation. (1) After a 24-h fast, the insulin secretory responses to 8 mM glucose measured during perifusion were reduced by more than 90% from islets of fasted donors. (2) Increasing glucose to 11 or 27.5 mM resulted in enhanced insulin secretion from islets of fasted animals. (3) Fasting did not reduce islet insulin content. (4) Responses to 8 or 27.5 mM glucose were not affected if fatty acid-free albumin was used during the perifusion. (5) Inclusion of alpha-ketoisocaproate (5 mM), monomethyl succinate (10 mM) or carbachol (10 microM) significantly amplified insulin release from fasted islets in the simultaneous presence of 8 mM glucose. (6) Phospholipase C activation by glucose, carbachol or their combination was not adversely affected by fasting. (7) The response to the protein kinase C activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (500 nM), was reduced by about 60% after fasting. (8) Extending the fast to 48 h resulted in a severe decline in response to 11 mM glucose; however, the further addition of 10 microM carbachol still enhanced release from these islets. The results confirm that caloric restriction impairs islet sensitivity to glucose stimulation and that protein kinase C may be involved in the reduction of glucose-induced insulin release from these islets. The activation of phospholipase C by cholinergic stimulation may contribute to the maintenance of insulin secretion from calorically restricted animals. These results also demonstrate that free fatty acids are not essential for glucose to evoke secretion from isolated islets of fasted donors.

Glucose-induced desensitization of the pancreatic beta-cell is species dependent

The capacity of 20 mM glucose to desensitize insulin release was determined. A prior exposure to 20 mM glucose impaired the response of rat islets to subsequent restimulation. Compared with control islets, insulin secretory rates measured 25-30 min after the onset of 20 mM glucose stimulation were reduced by 75%. Restimulation of glucose-desensitized islets with 20 mM glucose plus 500 nM forskolin resulted in a dramatic enhancement of both phases of secretion. In contrast to the desensitization of rat islets induced by prior 20 mM glucose exposure, mouse islets were immune to this adverse effect of the hexose. Prior exposure to 20 mM glucose had no adverse effect on glucose usage rates. The activation of phospholipase C in glucose-desensitized rat islets was compromised when compared with control islets. The impairment could not be accounted for by a decrease in immunoreactive content of several major phospholipase C isozymes (beta1 or delta1) or their partitioning between the membrane and cytosolic compartments. In contrast to rat islets, prior exposure of mouse islets to 20 mM glucose for 180 min had no effect on inositol phosphate accumulation. These observations document an additional difference between rat and mouse islets and suggest that the evolution of desensitization is a consequence of the impaired activation of phospholipase C in rat islets.

Chronic exposure to TPA depletes PKC alpha and augments Ca-dependent insulin secretion from cultured rat islets

The insulin secretory responses of rat islets to glucose (15 mM), 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA; 500 nM), and potassium (30 mM) were determined from perifused islets cultured for 22-24 h in CMRL-1066 medium (control cultured) or islets cultured in the additional presence of 500 nM TPA. Islet content of protein kinase C alpha (PKC alpha) and serine and threonine phosphoprotein patterns were also monitored after the culture period. Compared with freshly isolated islets, culturing alone had no adverse effect on the capacity of TPA or 30 mM potassium to stimulate secretion or on the islet content of PKC alpha. In agreement with previous studies, culturing in TPA reduced the islet content of immunoreactive PKC alpha by > 95% and abolished the capacity of the phorbol ester to stimulate secretion during a subsequent dynamic perifusion. Culturing in TPA slightly improved the insulin secretory response to 15 mM glucose compared with control-cultured islets; however, sustained rates of 15 mM glucose-induced secretion from these islets were significantly less than the responses of freshly isolated islets. Islets cultured in TPA responded to 30 mM potassium with a markedly amplified insulin secretory response that was abolished by nitrendipine. Enhanced phosphorylation of several islet proteins was also observed in TPA-cultured islets compared with control-cultured islets. These findings demonstrate that culturing alone impairs glucose-induced secretion, a response that is improved but still subnormal compared with freshly isolated islet responses, if TPA is included in the culture medium. Sustained phosphorylation of several islet proteins in TPA-cultured islets may account, at least in part, for augmented calcium-dependent secretion.

Regulation of insulin secretion via ATP-sensitive K+ channel independent mechanisms: role of phospholipase C

Groups of rat or mouse islets were isolated and perifused with 20 mM glucose plus 200 microM diazoxide. The further addition of 30 mM K+ resulted in a rapid and sustained biphasic insulin secretory response. The onset of secretion in response to the addition of K+ was comparable in both species, but the magnitude of the response was significantly greater from rat islets. After the labeling of islet phosphoinositide pools with 2-[3H]inositol, the accumulation of labeled inositol phosphates (IP) in response to 30 mM K+ addition in the simultaneous presence of 20 mM glucose plus diazoxide was assessed. The addition of 30 mM K+ significantly increased IP accumulation approximately 300% in rat islets, whereas only an insignificant 25-30% increase was observed in mouse islets. The protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine (50 nM) dramatically reduced the sustained secretory response from rat islets in the presence of 30 mM K+, 20 mM glucose, and diazoxide. Its effect was minimal on mouse islets and a significant inhibitory effect on insulin secretion was observed only during the final 5 min of the perifusion. The further addition of carbachol, an agonist that activates an isozyme of phospholipase C distinct from that activated by glucose, together with K+, 20 mM glucose, plus diazoxide resulted in a sustained amplification of insulin secretion from mouse but not rat islets. K+ (30 mM)-induced insulin secretion in the presence of 3 mM glucose was similar from perifused rat or mouse islets, a finding that would seem to preclude the activation of voltage-regulated Ca2+ channels as the pertinent difference. These results confirm previous observations with these species and document another anomaly that exists between the responses of rat islets compared with mouse islets. The inability to activate a nutrient- and calcium-regulated phospholipase C isozyme in mouse islets to the same extent as in rat islets appears to account, at least in part, for these different insulin secretory responses under these unique conditions.

Signal transduction in pancreatic beta-cells: regulation of insulin secretion by information flow in the phospholipase C/protein kinase C pathway

The physiologic regulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion is dependent upon the activation of information flow in the phospholipase C (PLC)/protein kinase C (PKC) signal transduction system. In both rat and human pancreatic beta-cells, glucose has several time-dependent effects on secretory responsiveness including the regulation of biphasic insulin secretion, time-dependent potentiation and time-dependent suppression. PLC/PKC activation has been implicated in all three response patterns. Islets of Langerhans contain the three major PLC isozyme classes (beta1, gamma1 and delta1) and the available evidence suggests that one class is activated by fuel secretagogues and another by neurohumoral agonists. The expression and activation of PLC is labile. When rat islet are cultured for short periods, the content and activation of PLC in response to glucose decreases and this biochemical defect in signal transduction is paralleled by significant reductions in glucose-induced insulin secretion. Similar defects are observed when human islets are cultured as well. Mouse islet responses to glucose stimulation differ in several major and dramatic ways from rat and human islet responses. When stimulated by 15mM glucose, mouse islets fail to develop a rising second phase secretory response, they fail to exhibit either time-dependent potentiation or time-dependent suppression to the hexose. Biphasic insulin secretion can be evoked and time-dependent potentiation can be induced in mouse islets by carbachol, an agonist that activates an isozyme of PLC distinct from that activated by glucose. These divergent response patterns are attributable to the underexpression in mouse islets, when compared to rat islets, of a fuel-sensitive PLC isozyme. When taken in their entirety, the experimental evidence suggests that the activation of PLC is an essential component in the physiologic regulation of insulin secretion and that disordered activation of the enzyme culminates in disordered insulin release.

Influence of pyruvic acid methyl ester on rat pancreatic islets. Effects on insulin secretion, phosphoinositide hydrolysis, and sensitization of the beta cell

The methyl ester of pyruvic acid (methyl pyruvate) stimulated a dose-dependent increase in insulin secretion from isolated perifused rat islets. The threshold level for release was about 10 mM, and at 20 mM the addition of MP to perifused islets resulted in a large first phase of secretion followed by an insulin-secretory response that was sustained for at least 40 min. When compared to the effects of 20 mM glucose, peak first-phase release rates in response to 20 mM methyl pyruvate were comparable, but the second phase of release was only about 10-15% of that observed with an equimolar level of the hexose. The stimulatory effects of 20 mM methyl pyruvate on secretion were abolished by the K1+-ATP channel blocker diazoxide (200 microM) and by the calcium channel antagonist nitrendipine (500 nM). The glucokinase inhibitor mannoheptulose (20 mM) had no adverse effect on the secretory response to 20 mM methyl pyruvate, whereas 10 microM forskolin amplified the insulinotropic action of MP. Sodium pyruvate alone or in combination with 10 microM forskolin had no insulinotropic effect. In additional experiments islet phosphoinositide pools were labeled with myo-2-[3H]inositol, and the subsequent accumulation of labeled inositol phosphates was used to monitor the activation of phospholipase C. Methyl pyruvate stimulated a dose-dependent increase in inositol phosphate levels when measured after a 30-min incubation period with a maximal increase of about 300% at 20 mM methyl pyruvate. The increase in phosphoinositide hydrolysis caused by methyl pyruvate (20 mM) was, like insulin secretion, reduced by both diazoxide and nitrendipine but was immune to inhibition by mannoheptulose. Pyruvate (20 mM) had no effect on inositol phosphate accumulation. Prior short-term exposure to methyl pyruvate sensitized islets to subsequent stimulation with 15 mM glucose. Sodium pyruvate did not sensitize islets. These findings support the concept that the mitochondrial metabolism of nutrient molecules is an event sufficient to acutely augment insulin release from the beta cell, to increase phospholipase C-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis, and to induce time-dependent potentiation of insulin secretion.

Regulation of insulin secretion by phospholipase C

Biphasic insulin secretion in response to a sustained glucose stimulus occurs when rat or human islets are exposed to high levels of the hexose. A transient burst of hormone secretion is followed by a rising and sustained secretory response that, in the perfused rat pancreas, is 25- to 75-fold greater than prestimulatory insulin release rates. This insulin secretory response is paralleled by a significant five- to sixfold increase in the phospholipase C (PLC)-mediated hydrolysis of islet phosphoinositide (PI) pools by high glucose. In contrast, mouse islets, when stimulated under comparable conditions with high glucose, display a second-phase response that is flat and only slightly (two- to threefold) greater than prestimulatory release rates. The minimal second-phase insulin secretory response to high glucose is accompanied by the minimal activation of PLC in mouse islets as well. However, stimulation of mouse islets with the protein kinase C (PKC) activator tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA) or the muscarinic agonist carbachol, which significantly activates an isozyme of PLC distinct from that activated by high glucose, induces a rising and sustained second-phase insulin secretory response. When previously exposed to high glucose, both rat and human islets respond to subsequent restimulation with an amplified insulin secretory response. They display priming, sensitization, or time-dependent potentiation. In contrast, mouse islets primed under similar conditions with high glucose fail to display this amplified insulin secretory response on restimulation. Mouse islets can, however, be primed by brief exposure to either TPA or carbachol. Finally, whereas rat islets are desensitized by chronic exposure to high glucose, mouse islet insulin secretory responses are relatively immune to this adverse effect of the hexose. These and other findings are discussed in relationship to the role being played by agonist-induced increases in the PLC-mediated hydrolysis of islet phosphoinositide pools and the activation of PKC in these species-specific insulin secretory response patterns.

Time-dependent effects of cholinergic stimulation on beta cell responsiveness

The effects of cholinergic stimulation on beta cell insulin secretory and phosphoinositide (PI) responses were determined in freshly isolated rat islets. Increasing the glucose level perifusing the islet from 5.6 to 8mM was accompanied by a modest insulin secretory response. The further addition of 10 microM carbachol increased peak first- and second-phase responses by 2.6- and 6. 8-fold, respectively. In the presence of 5.6 mM glucose, this low level (10 microM) of carbachol increased insulin release two- to three-fold, a response that was maintained for at least 60 min. In contrast to these acute stimulatory actions in the presence of glucose, chronic 3.5-h exposure of islets to 10 microM carbachol abolished beta cell insulin secretory responses to stimulation, with the combination of 8 mM glucose plus 10 microM carbachol. However, the further addition of 200 microM tolbutamide to these islets increased insulin secretory rates significantly. To establish the role of islet cell PI hydrolysis in these secretory responses, additional studies were conducted with islets whose PI pools were labeled with [3H]inositol. Acute exposure to 10 microM carbachol alone significantly increased inositol phosphate accumulation and the efflux of [3H]inositol, even in the absence of glucose. Including 10 microM carbachol during the labeling period with [3H]inositol resulted in significant impairments in subsequently measured inositol phosphate accumulation and [3H]inositol efflux responses to 8 mM glucose plus carbachol stimulation. Prior long-term exposure to 10 microM carbachol also induced heterologous desensitization: 20 mM glucose-stimulated insulin release and inositol phosphate accumulation were impaired in a parallel fashion. Chronic carbachol exposure had no deleterious effect on the usage of 8 or 20 mM glucose or on the insulin content of the islet. The acute stimulatory effects of carbachol on inositol phosphate accumulation as well as its inhibitory effect on 20 mM glucose-stimulated insulin release after prolonged exposure to the muscarinic agonist were significantly reduced by atropine. These findings demonstrate that changes in PI hydrolysis parallel those observed with insulin secretion and suggest that alterations in phospholipase C activation may account, at least in part, for the insulin secretory responses observed.

Signal transduction in isolated islets from the ob/ob mouse: enhanced sensitivity of protein kinase C to stimulation

The insulin secretory responses of islets isolated from ob/ob mice or their lean litter mates to glucose or the phorbol ester tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate were determined. Glucose-induced phospholipase C activation was also monitored. Even though lean mouse islets contained more insulin than ob/ob mouse islets, the first and second phases of 15mM glucose-induced secretion were significantly greater from ob/ob mouse islets. The kinetics of this amplified response were similar to those seen from lean islets as was the ability of 15mM glucose to activate phospholipase C. A striking dichotomy in responsiveness to the protein kinase C activator tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate was observed between lean and ob/ob mouse islets: while islets from lean animals were unresponsive to tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (500nM), a rising and sustained insulin secretory response was evoked from ob/ob mouse islets. The combination of 7.5mM glucose plus tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate resulted in dramatic and sustained insulin secretory responses from ob/ob mouse islets, responses that could be duplicated by stimulation with the combination of 3mM glucose, 500nM tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate and 30mM potassium. Significantly smaller responses to these agonist combinations were observed from lean mouse islets. These findings demonstrate that the sensitivity of ob/ob mouse islet protein kinase C to stimulation is markedly enhanced when compared to islets from lean mice and that the activation of protein kinase C or processes distal to and dependent on the enzyme may account, at least in part, for the amplified insulin secretory responses of these islets.

Species differences in the induction of time-dependent potentiation of insulin secretion

The secretory responsiveness of the pancreatic beta-cell can be markedly improved by prior short term exposure to a stimulatory glucose level. Termed time-dependent potentiation (TDP), priming, or sensitization, this phenomenon has been documented to occur in both human and rat islets and my involve, at least in part, information flow in the phospholipase C and protein kinase C (PKC) signal transduction pathway. In contrast to human and rat islets, however, mouse islets fail to exhibit TDP in response to priming with high glucose. In the present series of studies, we explored in more detail the conditions and stimulants necessary for the induction of TDP in mouse islets and compared these responses with those obtained in rat islets. In agreement with previous reports, high (15 mM) glucose alone primed the rat beta-cell, but not the mouse beta-cell, to subsequent restimulation with 15 mM glucose. However, muscarinic stimulation of mouse islets with carbachol (100 microM) in the presence of 15 mM glucose primed the beta-cell to a subsequent 15-mM glucose stimulus. In addition, prior exposure to 50 nM of the PKC activator tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate dramatically amplified the subsequent insulin secretory responses of mouse islets to 15 mM glucose. In contrast to its significant inhibitory effect on glucose-induced insulin release from rat islets, the PKC inhibitor staurosporine (50 nM) had not effect on 15 mM glucose-induced release from control or prior glucose-exposed mouse islets. However, staurosporine significantly reduced the priming effect of tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate or carbachol on 15 mM glucose-induced insulin secretion from mouse islets. These findings emphasize the dramatic species differences that exist in the capacity of prior high glucose stimulation to induce TDP in rat and, presumably, human islets, on the one hand, and mouse islets, on the other. They also serve to emphasize the role of phosphoinositide hydrolysis and PKC activation in the induction of TDP.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 stimulates insulin secretion but not phosphoinositide hydrolysis from islets desensitized by prior exposure to high glucose or the muscarinic agonist carbachol

In the present series of experiments, the ability of the postulated incretin factor, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), to stimulate insulin release from desensitized islets was determined. Compared with responses observed from control islets incubated for 3.5 hours with 5.6 mmol/L glucose alone, prior exposure to 10 mmol/L glucose, 20 mmol/L glucose, or 10 micromol/L carbachol reduced peak second-phase insulin release rates to a subsequent 20-mmol/L glucose stimulus by 63%, 81%, or 70%, respectively. Efflux of 3H-inositol from prior high-glucose- or carbachol-exposed islets was abolished and accumulation of inositol phosphates (IPs) in response to 20 mmol/L glucose was reduced. Further addition of 10 nmol/L GLP-1 together with 20 mmol/L glucose significantly increased insulin output from desensitized islets. Carbachol (10 micromol/L) preexposure also abolished the subsequent insulin secretory and 3H-inositol efflux responses to 8 mmol/L glucose plus 10 micromol/L carbachol. Inclusion of 10 nmol/L GLP-1 together with 8 mmol/L glucose plus 10 micromol/L carbachol improved but did not normalize secretion from these islets. These improvements in secretory responsiveness from high-glucose- or carbachol- desensitized islets occurred despite the lack of any apparent restorative effect of GLP-1 on agonist-induced increases in phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis. Finally, unlike the situation observed with carbachol or high-glucose preexposure, chronic exposure of islets to GLP-1 (100 nmol/L) did not desensitized islets to a subsequent 20 mmol/L glucose stimulus. We conclude from these studies that the incretin factor GLP-1 may play an important role in maintaining insulin output from islets in which phospholipase C (PLC)-mediated hydrolysis of islet PI pools in impaired. GLP-1 may prevent a further decline in beta-cell function and the associated deterioration in glucose tolerance that accompanies chronic exposure of islets to one of several agonists, including high glucose.

Regulation of insulin release by phospholipase C activation in mouse islets: differential effects of glucose and neurohumoral stimulation

Rat islets respond to glucose stimulation with a marked first and second phase increase in insulin secretion. In contrast, mouse islets have a similar first phase response but little second phase secretion. In these studies, we determined if activation of phospholipase C (PLC) accounts for these differences in second phase insulin secretion in these two species. Stimulation of freshly isolated mouse and rat islets with 15 mM glucose resulted in comparable first phase insulin secretion; however, the second phase response from mouse islets was only doubled from 28 +/- 6 to 60 +/- 7 pg/islet.min compared with an increase from 24 +/- 4 to 1064 +/- 93 pg/islet.min from rat islets. The addition of the muscarinic agonist carbachol (100 microM) in the presence of 15 mM glucose, however, markedly increased second phase insulin release from mouse islets to 801 +/- 80 pg/islet.min. Similar increases in second phase insulin release from mouse islets were obtained with the addition of 500 nM of the protein kinase C activator tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate in the presence of 15 mM glucose. However, the incretin factor glucagon-like peptide-1, which elevates islet cAMP levels, had little effect on second phase insulin release in the mouse. An analysis of PLC-mediated phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis revealed that 15 mM glucose increased inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation 0.5-fold above baseline in mouse islets compared with 3.7-fold in rat islets. In contrast, carbachol stimulated IP accumulation 3.5-fold in both mouse and rat islets. Analysis of PLC isozymes with isozyme specific monoclonal antibodies, demonstrated that mouse islets express 14 +/- 4% of PLC-delta 1 and 18 +/- 6% of PLC-beta 1 compared with rat islets but similar amounts of the PLC-gamma 1 (117 +/- 16%). These findings suggest that the decreased second phase insulin secretory response in mouse compared with rat islets results, at least in part, from an inability of high glucose to stimulate comparable increments in PI hydrolysis. This lack of glucose responsiveness may be due to the pronounced underexpression of specific PLC isozymes in the mouse.

Effects of short-term culturing on islet phosphoinositide and insulin secretory responses to glucose and carbachol

The ability of glucose and carbachol, alone or in combination, to stimulate islet cell phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and insulin secretory responses in freshly isolated or in 20-24 h cultured rat islets was assessed. In freshly isolated, 3H-inositol-prelabeled islets, 20 mM glucose alone or 1 mM carbachol alone stimulated significant increments in 3H-inositol efflux and inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation. When stimulated with both agonists, a dramatic and synergistic effect on IP accumulation was noted. Carbachol (1 mM) alone had no sustained stimulatory effect on insulin secretion. Glucose (20 mM) alone induced a biphasic insulin secretory response. When compared to prestimulatory secretory rates of 18 +/- 4 pg/islet/min, peak first and second phase responses now averaged 422 +/- 61 and 1016 +/- 156 pg/islet/min, respectively. In contrast to freshly studied islets, culturing islets for 20-24 h in CMRL-1066 medium attenuated all measured responses. The increases in 3H-inositol efflux rates in response to glucose, carbachol, or their combination were significantly less than those observed with fresh islets. The IP responses were also attenuated. Second phase insulin secretory responses to 20 mM glucose alone 68 +/- 9 pg/islet/min) or the combination of 20 mM glucose plus 1 mM carbachol (358 +/- 85 pg/islet/min) were also significantly decreased when compared with fresh islets. We conclude from these studies that the process of culturing islets for one day in CMRL-1066 significantly decreases islet cell PI hydrolysis and insulin secretory responsiveness. These observations may help to explain the discordant conclusions reached concerning the involvement of PI hydrolysis and protein kinase C activation in the regulation of insulin release from freshly isolated versus cultured islets.

Synergistic interaction of glucose and neurohumoral agonists to stimulate islet phosphoinositide hydrolysis

The interaction between neurohumoral agonists and glucose to stimulate phosphoinositide (PI)-specific phospholipase C (PLC) and insulin release was examined. In freshly isolated rat islets, maximal glucose (40 mM), cholecystokinin (CCK; 300 nM), or carbachol (CCh; 1 mM) stimulated PI hydrolysis 6.5-, 9.8-, and 5.7-fold, respectively, above basal. The combination of glucose and CCK or of glucose and CCh, but not of CCK and CCh, synergistically increased PI hydrolysis 23.2- and 21.6-fold, respectively, indicating that these secretagogues activate PLC by distinct pathways and that there is an interaction between them. This synergy was maximal at physiological concentrations of stimulatory glucose (8-10 mM) and was paralleled by a marked synergistic stimulation of insulin secretion. The enhanced PI response was partially Ca2+ dependent and may involve the activation of distinct isozymes of PLC, which we identify in islets. These studies demonstrate for the first time a unique and highly sensitive synergistic interaction between glucose and neurohumoral agonists to stimulate PI hydrolysis, and they suggest that enhanced PI hydrolysis is important in the potentiation of glucose- and neurohumoral-stimulated insulin secretion.

Islet phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin secretory responses from prediabetic fa/fa ZDF rats

The sequence of events that culminate in the development of diabetes in the fa/fa Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat is unclear. In the present series of experiments islets from 5 week old prediabetic fa/fa male rats were isolated and their phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and insulin secretory responses compared to those obtained from lean nondiabetic age- and weight-matched control rats. Peak first and second phase insulin secretory responses to 20mM glucose averaged 77 +/- 10 (mean +/- SE, n = 7) and 491 +/- 47 pg/islet/min from lean, nondiabetic control islets. The comparable responses from fa/fa prediabetic rat islets were significantly greater, 264 +/- 51 and 810 +/- 78 pg/islet/min. In a parallel fashion 3H-inositol efflux and inositol phosphate responses from prediabetic rat islets were also greater than comparable control responses. These findings demonstrate that significant increases in the phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of islet PI pools and insulin release in response to hyperglycemic stimulation can be detected prior to the emergence of diabetes in the fa/fa ZDF rat. These early changes in beta cell responsiveness to glucose may contribute to the hyperinsulinemia and subsequent insulin resistance characteristic of this animal model of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Metabolic activation of Ca(2+)-independent phosphoinositide hydrolysis in beta-cells and its role in the control of insulin secretion

Recent studies have led to the proposal that the oxidative metabolism of glucose leads to the generation of messengers, in addition to ATP, that are important in the ability of changes in extracellular glucose concentration to stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. In particular, there is now evidence that glucose induces both a Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent increase in phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis. To explore the relationship between oxidative metabolism and PI hydrolysis, we examined the effect of low concentrations (2.5 mM) of alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC) and monomethylsuccinate (MMSucc) either alone or in combination on insulin secretion and PI hydrolysis in isolated rat pancreatic islets incubated with either no glucose, 5 mM glucose, or 20 mM glucose. A combination of KIC and MMSucc leads to a marked increase in largely (80%) Ca(2+)-independent PI hydrolysis in either the absence or presence of 5 mM glucose. When glucose is absent, this combination of substrates induces a very small and transient first phase of insulin secretion but no significant second phase of secretion. In the presence of 5 mM glucose, either KIC or MMSucc alone induces a first phase of insulin secretion with a peak secretory rate 10-fold greater than the basal rate but only a small second phase of secretion approximately 5-fold above control. However, in the presence of 5 mM glucose, the combination of KIC plus MMSucc induces a large biphasic increase in insulin secretion: peak first-phase secretion is increased 30-fold, and second-phase 40-fold. These response are comparable to those induced by 20 mM glucose and are completely inhibited by 0.5 microM nitrendipine. In contrast, KIC plus MMSucc do not enhance the insulin secretory response induced by 20 mM glucose. Previous data showed that when 20 mM glucose acts, the resulting increase in PI hydrolysis is only partially Ca2+ dependent. A reanalysis of these data shows that raising the glucose concentration from 5 to 7 mM causes a 2-fold increase in Ca(2+)-independent PI hydrolysis, and a further increase to 20 mM leads to a further 2-fold increase in Ca(2+)-dependent PI hydrolysis. These data show that these two pathways are regulated by different ranges of glucose concentration. They raise the interesting possibility that these distinct pathways have different signaling functions. In particular, raising the glucose concentration from 5 to 7 mM is known to alter the responsiveness of beta-cells to a variety of neurohumoral agonists and to tolbutamide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Calcium and a mitochondrial signal interact to stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin secretion in rat islets

Fuel metabolism generates multiple signals that interact to stimulate insulin secretion. These studies explored the mechanism by which fuels activate phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and the role of this signal transduction pathway in fuel-stimulated insulin secretion. High potassium (30 mM), which depolarizes the membrane and increases Ca2+ influx, caused only a transient monophasic release of insulin. In contrast, glucose (20 mM) or monomethylsuccinate (MMSucc; 10 mM) markedly stimulated a sustained insulin secretory response, indicating that fuel metabolism generates a signal(s) in addition to Ca2+ influx that is required for a sustained secretory response. On the other hand, diazoxide, an ATP-sensitive K+ channel activator that prevents membrane depolarization and Ca2+ influx in response to fuel metabolism, reduced the secretory responses to glucose and MMSucc to baseline levels, demonstrating that Ca2+ influx was essential to fuel-stimulated insulin secretion. The further addition of high K+ bypassed the diazoxide block and restored insulin secretory rates. The insulin secretory response to glucose or MMSucc in the presence of diazoxide and K+ was inhibited by the Ca2+ channel antagonist nitrendipine and the protein kinase-C inhibitor staurosporine. Changes in PI hydrolysis paralleled those in insulin secretion. High potassium alone induced only a modest 2.5-fold increase in inositol phosphate accumulation. This response was significantly less than that to glucose or MMSucc, which increased inositol phosphate accumulation by 6.8- or 5.2-fold, respectively. Like its effect on secretion, diazoxide markedly reduced glucose- or MMSucc-stimulated PI hydrolysis, and this inhibition was reversed with high K+. In contrast, diazoxide had no effect on receptor-activated PI hydrolysis stimulated by 100 nM cholecystokinin (CCK), and the effects of CCK were not dependent on added fuel, indicating that fuel and CCK activate PI hydrolysis by distinct pathways. These findings demonstrate that mitochondrial metabolism of glucose or MMSucc generates a signal(s) that interacts with Ca2+ influx to stimulate PI hydrolysis and sustained insulin secretion. This pathway of fuel-activated PI hydrolysis is distinct from that of CCK receptor-activated PI hydrolysis. These studies suggest that fuel-activated PI hydrolysis plays an important role in fuel-stimulated insulin secretion.

Comparative effects of monomethylsuccinate and glucose on insulin secretion from perifused rat islets

In the absence of any other exogenously added fuel, monomethylsuccinate, the methyl ester of succinic acid, at 10-20 mM stimulates insulin release in a biphasic pattern. In quantitative terms, first-phase release evoked by 20 mM MMSucc was comparable to that observed with 20 mM glucose but second-phase release was only 20% of the glucose-induced response. Secretion to both MMSucc and glucose was virtually abolished by the calcium channel antagonist nitrendipine (0.5 microM). In islets that had phosphoinositide pools labeled with [3H]inositol for 2 h, subsequent stimulation with 20 mM MMSucc results in dramatic and sustained increases in [3H]inositol efflux rates. Inositol phosphate levels are also increased. In contrast to secretion, the increase in phosphoinositide hydrolysis caused by MMSucc was largely resistant to nitrendipine, whereas significant reductions in glucose-induced phosphoinositide hydrolysis were observed in the presence of the calcium channel antagonist. MMSucc (2.75-10 mM) substitutes for glucose in that MMSucc supported the insulinotropic effects of the sulfonylurea tolbutamide (200 microM) and the gut hormone cholecystokinin (200 nM). A prior 15-min exposure to 20 mM MMSucc also sensitized islets to the stimulatory effects of 7.5 mM glucose. Finally, a 2-h exposure to 20 mM MMSucc desensitized the islet, in terms of both phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin secretion, to a subsequent exposure to 10 mM glucose. Thus, appropriate concentrations of MMSucc can cause qualitatively many of the effects induced by glucose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Influence of glucagon-like peptide-1 on beta cell responsiveness

The postulated incretin factor glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) causes a glucose-dependent increase in insulin secretion from perifused rat islets. In the presence of 6 mM glucose the response to 10 nM GLP-1 is characterized by a large initial spike of secretion, followed by a brief, slowly rising phase. However, after 30-40 min of stimulation, this phase subsides to prestimulatory secretory rates. Raising the glucose level to 8 mM, however, amplifies and sustains the stimulatory effect of 10 nM GLP-1. The response to GLP-1 (10 nM) in the presence of 8 mM glucose is abolished by the metabolic inhibitor mannoheptulose (15 mM), and reduced by the calcium channel antagonist nitrendipine (5 microM), or the protein kinase C inhibitor of staurosporine (20 nM). A significant synergistic effect of GLP-1 (10 nM) and 10 microM carbachol, a cholinergic agonist, on insulin secretion was observed in the presence of 6 mM glucose. In the presence of either 6 or 8 mM glucose, GLP-1 (10 nM) has no significant effect on glucose usage or on inositol phosphate generation in [3H]inositol prelabeled islets. The results support the concept that GLP-1 may function as an important physiologic incretin factor, particularly when accompanied by agonists that activate phosphoinositide hydrolysis.

Biochemical mechanisms involved in monomethyl succinate-induced insulin secretion

Esters of succinic acid stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. Using collagenase-isolated rat islets, the transduction mechanisms involved were investigated. In freshly isolated perifused islets, monomethyl succinate (MMSucc), in the presence of basal (2.75 mM) glucose, stimulated insulin release in a biphasic pattern. This secretory response was dependent on extracellular calcium movement into the beta-cell, since the calcium channel blocker nitrendipine (5 microM) abolished it. The glucokinase inhibitor mannoheptulose (20 mM) had no effect on its secretory action, while the protein kinase-C inhibitor staurosporine (20 nM) reduced secretion to MMSucc. In addition, while ineffective alone, the diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor monooleoylglycerol (25 microM) potentiated MMSucc-induced insulin release. A similarly amplified response occurred in the presence of forskolin (0.25 microM), a compound that elevates islet cAMP levels. The sodium salt of succinic acid (20 mM) had no effect on insulin release in the presence or absence of forskolin. Prior treatment with MMSucc in the presence of 2.75 mM glucose sensitized islets to the usually weak insulin secretory effect of 7.5 mM glucose. Other groups of islets were incubated for 2 h with myo-[2-3H]inositol to label their phosphoinositide pools. These islets were subsequently stimulated, and the kinetics of [3H]inositol efflux and insulin secretion were measured. MMSucc induced a rapid and sustained dose-dependent increase in [3H]inositol efflux rates. In batch-incubated islets, MMSucc increased inositol phosphate levels. Finally, MMSucc (20 mM), in the presence of 8 mM glucose, did not influence the detritiation of [5-3H]glucose, but reduced the oxidation of [U-14C] glucose. These results support the following conclusions. First, MMSucc is a potent activator of islet phosphoinositide hydrolysis. Second, the activation of protein kinase-C appears to contribute to the acute insulin secretory effect of MMSucc. Third, MMSucc-induced increases in phosphoinositide hydrolysis contribute at least in part to its ability to acutely stimulate insulin release and prime the beta-cell to subsequent stimulation. Finally, mitochondrial events associated with the oxidative metabolism of MMSucc may underlie its insulinotropic action.

Glucosamine-induced desensitization of beta-cell responses: possible involvement of impaired information flow in the phosphoinositide cycle

The influence of glucosamine on beta-cell response characteristics of collagenase-isolated rat islets was determined. Groups of islets were incubated for 2 h with myo-[2-3H]inositol to label their phosphoinositide (PI) pools. Also included in some experiments was glucosamine (0.1-10 mM). Subsequently, these islets were perifused, and their responses to 10 mM glucose, 10 mM alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC), and 1 microM of the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate were assessed. Increases in PI hydrolysis were monitored during the perfusion by measuring fractional efflux rates of [3H]inositol. The accumulation of inositol phosphates after the perifusion was also determined. In other experiments, the use of 10 mM glucose was measured after a 2-h exposure to 5 or 10 mM glucosamine. Finally, the ability of glucosamine itself to augment release and activate PI hydrolysis was assessed. The following observations were made. 1) A prior 2-h exposure to 5-10 mM glucosamine resulted in parallel dose-dependent impairments in 10 mM glucose-induced insulin release and PI hydrolysis. 2) Glucosamine (5-10 mM) also impaired the subsequent response to alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC). Parallel deficits in KIC-induced PI hydrolysis were noted under conditions where insulin secretion was impaired. 3) Under several conditions where glucosamine impaired glucose-induced secretion, it had no adverse effect on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced release. 4) The desensitizing effect of 10 mM glucosamine on 10 mM glucose-induced release and PI hydrolysis developed within 30 min of exposure to it. 5) Glucosamine (5-10 mM) preexposure had no adverse effect on the use of 10 mM glucose by desensitized islets. 6) Short term (5-min) exposure to glucosamine (10 mM) alone stimulated PI hydrolysis, while a 30-min exposure to the same level of the hexosamine depressed it. 7) In the presence of 0.25 microM forskolin, 10 mM glucosamine also had a transient stimulatory effect on insulin release. These findings support the concept that the acute and chronic effects of glucosamine on the beta-cell result at least in part from its ability to influence PI hydrolysis in islets.

Influence of staurosporine, nitrendipine and monooleoylglycerol on interleukin-1-induced insulin secretion and phosphoinositide hydrolysis

The monokine interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1) induces a glucose-dependent increase in insulin secretion, an effect tentatively attributed to its ability to increase beta cell phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis. In the present experiments, the effects of the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine (20 nM), the calcium channel antagonist nitrendipine (5 microM), and the diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor monooleoylglycerol (MOG, 25 microM) on 40 nM IL-1-induced increments in insulin release from perifused islets and inositol phosphate levels in [3H]inositol prelabeled islets were assessed. In perifused islets, insulin secretion in response to IL-1 in the presence of 7 mM glucose averaged 313 +/- 43 pg/islet/min 35-40 min after the onset of stimulation. Release from control islets perifused in the presence of 7 mM glucose alone averaged 56 +/- 6 pg/islet/min at this time point. The addition of staurosporine together with IL-1 reduced insulin secretion at this time point to 88 +/- 21 pg/islet/min. This level of IL-1 caused significant increases in inositol phosphate accumulation in the presence of 7 mM glucose but not 2.75 mM glucose. Staurosporine was without a significant effect on inositol phosphate accumulation in response to the monokine. In contrast, nitrendipine (5 microM) inhibited insulin release and inositol phosphate accumulation in a parallel fashion. Finally, MOG significantly amplified release to the monokine without significantly affecting its impact on inositol phosphate accumulation. Nitrendipine or staurosporine blocked this amplifying effect of MOG on secretion. These results emphasize the role of PI hydrolysis in IL-1-induced insulin secretion and suggest further that calcium influx is essential for IL-1 to fully activate both PI hydrolysis and insulin secretion.

Influence of staurosporine on glucose-mediated and glucose-conditioned insulin secretion

The effect of staurosporine, a putative inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), on insulin secretion induced by glucose and 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate (KIC) was examined. In addition, the effects of staurosporine on the actions of other agonists, for which glucose acts as a conditional modifier, were also examined. At 20 nM, staurosporine caused a marked inhibition of second-phase insulin secretion, whether it was stimulated by 10 mM- or 20 mM-glucose, by 15 mM-KIC, or by carbachol or tolbutamide in islets co-perifused with 7.0 mM-glucose. In each case, the second-phase secretory response was inhibited by 70-85%. In contrast, in all cases there was no effect of staurosporine on the magnitude of the first phase of insulin secretion, nor on the time course of first-phase secretion, except when glucose alone was the secretagogue. With either 10 mM- or 20 mM-glucose, the peak of the first phase of insulin secretion was delayed. Staurosporine does not alter glucose metabolism, or the ability of glucose to activate phosphoinositide hydrolysis or to cause the translocation of alpha-PKC to the membrane. These findings support the concept that PKC activation plays an important role in fuel-induced or fuel-conditioned insulin secretion.

Effects of the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on islet-cell responsiveness

Collagenase-isolated rat islets were labelled for 2 h in myo-[2-3H]inositol solution supplemented with 2.75 mM-glucose. The phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 0.1 or 1 microM) was also present in some experiments. After labelling, islets were washed and then perifused in 2.75 mM-glucose to establish basal [3H]inositol-efflux and insulin-secretory rates. Subsequently, the responses of these islets to stimulation with various agonists were assessed. Inositol phosphate accumulation was measured at the termination of the perifusion. In separate experiments, the cellular location of protein kinase C (PKC) after PMA pretreatment was measured by quantitative immunoblotting of membrane and cytosolic fractions. The following observations were made. (1) Labelling in 0.1-1 microM-PMA had no deleterious effect on total [3H]inositol incorporation during the 2 h labelling period. However, islets labelled for 2 h in 1 microM-PMA were unable to respond, in terms of increases in insulin release, to a 1 microM-PMA stimulus during the subsequent perifusion. (2) As compared with the responses of control islets labelled in 2.75 mM-glucose alone, islets labelled in the additional presence of 1 microM-PMA displayed a significant impairment in phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis, but an enhancement of both first-and second-phase insulin secretion, in response to subsequent 20 mM-glucose stimulation. (3) Decreasing extracellular Ca2+ level to 0.1 mM and including the Ca(2+)-channel antagonist nitrendipine (0.5 microM) along with 1 microM-PMA during the [3H]inositol-labelling period did not alter the response of the islets to the subsequent addition of 20 mM-glucose. Glucose-induced PI hydrolysis was still inhibited and 20 mM-glucose-induced insulin release was still enhanced. (4) A markedly amplified and sustained insulin-secretory response to 200 microM-tolbutamide in the presence of 2.75 mM-glucose was also obtained from 1 microM-PMA-pretreated islets. This contrasts sharply with the small and transient response to tolbutamide noted in control islets. (5) When present only during the perifusion phase of the experiments, nitrendipine (0.5 microM) abolished the amplified insulin-secretory responses to both 20 mM-glucose and 200 microM-tolbutamide noted in PMA-pretreated islets. (6) Prior labelling in 1 microM-PMA dramatically amplified the insulinotropic effect of 25 mM-K+ or 5 microM-A23187 stimulation. The amplified insulin-secretory response to K+, but not to A23187, was abolished by inclusion of nitrendipine during the perifusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Physiology and pathophysiology of insulin secretion

Mechanisms by which various classes of extracellular signals regulate insulin secretion are discussed regarding their cellular and molecular actions. Under physiological circumstances, the small postprandial changes in plasma glucose concentrations (approximately 4.4-6.6 mM) primarily serve as a conditioned modifier of insulin secretion and dramatically alter the responsiveness of islets to a combination of neurohormonal agonists. These agonists have two functions. Cholecystokinin (CCK) and acetylcholine activate the hydrolysis of polyphosphoinositides, and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagonlike peptide 1 activate adenylate cyclase. These two functional classes of neurohumoral agonists act synergistically to enhance insulin secretion when plasma glucose is greater than 6.0 mM but not when it is less than or equal to 4 mM. On the other hand, an increase in plasma glucose concentration to 8-10 mM induces an increase in insulin secretory rate in the absence of any of the neurohormonal agonists. Remarkably, high glucose leads to an increase in the same intracellular signals, as does a combination of acetylcholine and GIP. On the basis of these data, a model of how insulin secretion is regulated under physiological circumstances is proposed. This model emphasizes that the regulation of insulin secretion occurs in three stages: cephalic, early enteric, and later enteric. In this view, the crucial event occurring during the first two phases is the agonist-induced, translocation of protein kinase C (PKC) to the plasma membrane under conditions in which an increase in Ca2+ influx does not occur. PKC is now in a cellular location and a Ca2(+)-sensitive conformation such that an increase in Ca2+ influx rate occurring during the third phase leads to its immediate activation and an enhanced rate of insulin secretion. Furthermore, under physiological circumstances, an optimal insulin secretory response is dependent on a correct temporal pattern of signals arising from neural and enteric sources. If this pattern is deranged, an abnormal pattern of insulin secretion is observed. An important new insight is provided by the observation that agonists (e.g., CCK or acetylcholine) that act to stimulate the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositides, when acting for a short period (10-20 min), induce an enhanced responsiveness of islets to glucose, i.e., proemial sensitization. However, when acting unopposed for several hours, these agonists will induce a time-dependent suppression of responsiveness to glucose and other agonists. The latter observation implies that optimal insulin secretion is dependent on periodic rather than a continuous exposure to the correct pattern of extracellular signals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Forskolin-induced desensitization of pancreatic beta-cell insulin secretory responsiveness: possible involvement of impaired information flow in the inositol-lipid cycle

Isolated rat islets of Langerhans were incubated for 2 h in a myo-[2-3H]inositol-containing solution to label their phosphoinositides. Also included during this labeling period was forskolin (0.1-5 microM), a compound established to elevate islet cAMP levels. These islets were subsequently perifused, and their insulin secretory responses to 20 mM glucose or 1 microM of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) were assessed. Determined in parallel with secretion were [3H] inositol efflux patterns and, at the termination of the perifusion, labeled inositol phosphate accumulation. The following major observations were made. 1) Forskolin had no deleterious effect on the total amount of [3H]inositol incorporated by the islets during the labeling period. 2) However, labeling in forskolin resulted in subsequent dose-dependent decreases in 20 mM glucose-induced insulin secretion, [3H]inositol efflux and inositol phosphate accumulation. 3) Inclusion of the diacylglycerol (DAG) kinase inhibitor monooleoylglycerol (50 microM) restored to a significant degree glucose-induced release from forskolin-desensitized islets. 4) Pretreatment with 5 microM forskolin had no deleterious effect on TPA-induced insulin release. 5) Prior exposure to forskolin also impaired phosphoinositide hydrolysis in response to cholecystokinin stimulation. 6) Similar to forskolin, labeling in isobutylmethylxanthine (1 mM) reduced in a parallel fashion islet [3H]inositol efflux and insulin secretion in response to 20 mM glucose stimulation. These findings demonstrate that prior chronic elevation of islet cAMP levels suppresses the activation of phospholipase-C in response to subsequent stimulation. Defective insulin secretory responsiveness of these islets appears to be the result of impaired generation of phosphoinositide-derived second messenger molecules, particularly DAG. By substituting for DAG, however, TPA circumvents this biochemical lesion and evokes a normal insulin secretory response from forskolin-pretreated islets.

Influence of monooleoylglycerol on islet cell phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin secretion

The diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor monooleoylglycerol (MOG) produced a dose-dependent increase in both phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and insulin secretion in the presence of a substimulatory glucose level (2.75 mM). This effect could not be reproduced by the combination of oleic acid plus glycerol, potential metabolic products derived from MOG catabolism. At a level (25 microM) which has no significant effect on beta cell insulin secretion or PI hydrolysis in the presence of 2.75 mM glucose, MOG significantly potentiated the insulin stimulatory effect of the sulfonylurea tolbutamide (200 microM) in the presence of 7 mM glucose. This heightened insulin secretory response and PI hydrolysis were effectively attenuated by the calcium channel blocker nitrendipine (0.5 microM). These findings indicate that MOG has complex effects on beta cell performance. It promises, however, to be a useful probe in assessing how events associated with increases in PI hydrolysis influence insulin secretion.

Chronic in vivo hyperglycemia impairs phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin release in isolated perifused rat islets

We examined the effect of chronic hyperglycemia on phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin secretion in isolated perifused rat islets. Rats were infused for 44 h with 40% dextrose in order to raise and maintain the plasma glucose concentration at 350 mg/dl. Control animals were infused with equiosmolar amounts of mannitol. In vivo insulin secretion and rats of glucose disposal were monitored throughout the study. At the end of the infusion, islets were collagenase isolated, and phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis (assessed by measuring the increment in [3H]inositol efflux as well as labeled inositol phosphates) and insulin output in response to a 20-mM glucose challenge were quantitated. Plasma insulin concentration and in vivo glucose disposal rates decreased significantly, by 47% and 35% respectively, after 6-8 h of hyperglycemia. In islets perifused immediately after isolation, prior in vivo hyperglycemia markedly altered the pattern of insulin output in response to 20-mM glucose challenge. Compared to mannitol infusion, 20 mM glucose stimulation resulted in an exaggerated first phase insulin secretory response (1121 +/- 88 vs. 467 +/- 75 pg/islets.min) and a blunted second phase insulin secretory response (392 +/- 90 vs. 1249 +/- 205 pg/islet.min). In islets prelabeled with myo-[2-3H]inositol for 2 h, PI hydrolysis, particularly [3H]inositol efflux in response to glucose stimulation was also reduced (0.28 +/- 0.03%/min) compared to that in mannitol-infused animals (0.53 +/- 0.08%/min). Two hours of preincubation in a low glucose medium (2.75 mM) were able to completely reverse the islet defect in both PI hydrolysis and insulin secretion. Our results demonstrate that chronic in vivo hyperglycemia impairs PI hydrolysis in perifused rat islets and suggest that this defect accounts in part for the abnormal pattern of glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Cholinergic agonists prime the beta-cell to glucose stimulation

The ability of the cholinergic agonists carbachol or acetylcholine to stimulate insulin release, activate phosphoinositide hydrolysis, and prime the beta-cell to the insulin stimulatory effect of 7.5 mM glucose was assessed. In the presence of 7 mM glucose, but not 2.75 mM glucose, 1 mM carbachol evoked a sustained insulin secretory response. At both glucose levels, carbachol stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis, an event monitored in myo-[2-3H]inositol-prelabeled islets by increases in [3H]inositol efflux and labeled inositol phosphate accumulation. Prior exposure to carbachol (0.1-1 mM) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the subsequent insulin secretory response to 7.5 mM glucose. This sensitization developed within 2 min and lasted for at least 45 min after carbachol removal from the perifusion medium. Carbachol pretreatment also sensitized the islet to either 200 microM tolbutamide or 10 mM arginine. Prior exposure to 1 mM acetylcholine induced a similar proemial sensitization to a subsequent challenge with glucose. These results demonstrate that even though cholinergic stimulation increases phosphoinositide hydrolysis, this event is insufficient to initiate sustained insulin secretion from islets exposed to a low (2.75 mM) glucose concentration. However, this increase in phosphoinositide hydrolysis sensitizes islets to a subsequent challenge with one of several different stimuli, including glucose. Hence, this sensitization of islets to physiologically relevant glucose concentrations may represent the major contribution of vagal stimulation to the regulation of insulin secretion.

Interactions between lithium, inositol and mono-oleoylglycerol in the regulation of insulin secretion from isolated perifused rat islets

In response to stimulation by 20 mM-glucose, 15 mM-4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate or 10 mM-glyceraldehyde, isolated perifused rat islets respond with brisk biphasic insulin-secretory responses. The inclusion of 10 mM-LiCl significantly decreased second-phase insulin release in response to all agonists. Inositol, at a concentration (10 mM) which has no effect on secretion in the presence of 2.75 mM-glucose, restored significantly glucose-, 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate- or glyceraldehyde-induced second-phase release from Li+-treated islets. The addition of the diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor mono-oleoylglycerol, at a concentration (25 microM) which has no stimulatory effect on insulin secretion in the presence of 2.75 mM-glucose, significantly amplified both the first- and second-phase insulin responses to 20 mM-glucose. This amplifying effect of mono-oleoylglycerol was readily reversible and dependent on Ca2+ influx into the beta-cell. Li+ decreased the amplified insulin response to 20 mM-glucose plus mono-oleoylglycerol. Inositol restored release under this condition. These findings suggest that Li+ inhibits release by sequestering inositol into biosynthetically ineffective inositol phosphates. By limiting phosphoinositide resynthesis, the continued hydrolysis of phosphoinositides is diminished. Our results with mono-oleoylglycerol suggest further that diacylglycerol content may play a critically important role in the regulation of both the first and second phases of insulin secretion.

Interactions between cholinergic agonists and enteric factors in the regulation of insulin secretion from isolated perifused rat islets

The ability of the cholinergic agonist carbachol to sensitize islets to the action of combined glucose, cholecystokinin and gastric inhibitory polypeptide was determined in isolated rat islets. In response to this combination, peak first phase insulin secretion from control islets averages 85 +/- 5 pg.islet-1.min-1 (mean +/- SEM) and the insulin secretory rates measured 35-40 min after the onset of stimulation averages 127 +/- 34 pg.islet-1.min-1. A prior 20 min exposure to 1 mmol/l carbachol potentiates the modest insulin stimulatory response to this combination of stimulants: peak first phase release is 354 +/- 61 pg.islet-1.min-1, and release measured 35-40 min after the onset of stimulation is 179 +/- 34 pg.islet-1.min-1. This sensitizing effect of carbachol lasts for at least 40 min and can be duplicated by the natural in vivo agonist acetylcholine. These results demonstrate that cholinergic stimulation of isolated islets primes them to the subsequent stimulatory effect of a moderate increase in the circulating glucose level and to several postulated incretin factors. If operative in vivo, this communications network between cephalic and enteric factors represents a remarkable control system to ensure the release of insulin in amounts commensurate to meet the anticipated and actual insulin requirements for insulin-mediated fuel disposition.