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Skelin Klemen M, Dolenšek J, Križančić Bombek L, Pohorec V, Gosak M, Slak Rupnik M, Stožer A. The effect of forskolin and the role of Epac2A during activation, activity, and deactivation of beta cell networks. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1225486. [PMID: 37701894 PMCID: PMC10494243 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1225486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Beta cells couple stimulation by glucose with insulin secretion and impairments in this coupling play a central role in diabetes mellitus. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) amplifies stimulus-secretion coupling via protein kinase A and guanine nucleotide exchange protein 2 (Epac2A). With the present research, we aimed to clarify the influence of cAMP-elevating diterpene forskolin on cytoplasmic calcium dynamics and intercellular network activity, which are two of the crucial elements of normal beta cell stimulus-secretion coupling, and the role of Epac2A under normal and stimulated conditions. To this end, we performed functional multicellular calcium imaging of beta cells in mouse pancreas tissue slices after stimulation with glucose and forskolin in wild-type and Epac2A knock-out mice. Forskolin evoked calcium signals in otherwise substimulatory glucose and beta cells from Epac2A knock-out mice displayed a faster activation. During the plateau phase, beta cells from Epac2A knock-out mice displayed a slightly higher active time in response to glucose compared with wild-type littermates, and stimulation with forskolin increased the active time via an increase in oscillation frequency and a decrease in oscillation duration in both Epac2A knock-out and wild-type mice. Functional network properties during stimulation with glucose did not differ in Epac2A knock-out mice, but the presence of Epac2A was crucial for the protective effect of stimulation with forskolin in preventing a decline in beta cell functional connectivity with time. Finally, stimulation with forskolin prolonged beta cell activity during deactivation, especially in Epac2A knock-out mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maša Skelin Klemen
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | | | - Viljem Pohorec
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Marko Gosak
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Alma Mater Europaea, European Center Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Marjan Slak Rupnik
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Alma Mater Europaea, European Center Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
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Postić S, Sarikas S, Pfabe J, Pohorec V, Križančić Bombek L, Sluga N, Skelin Klemen M, Dolenšek J, Korošak D, Stožer A, Evans-Molina C, Johnson JD, Slak Rupnik M. High-resolution analysis of the cytosolic Ca 2+ events in β cell collectives in situ. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2023; 324:E42-E55. [PMID: 36449570 PMCID: PMC9829482 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00165.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The release of peptide hormones is predominantly regulated by a transient increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c). To trigger exocytosis, Ca2+ ions enter the cytosol from intracellular Ca2+ stores or from the extracellular space. The molecular events of late stages of exocytosis, and their dependence on [Ca2+]c, were extensively described in isolated single cells from various endocrine glands. Notably, less work has been done on endocrine cells in situ to address the heterogeneity of [Ca2+]c events contributing to a collective functional response of a gland. For this, β cell collectives in a pancreatic islet are particularly well suited as they are the smallest, experimentally manageable functional unit, where [Ca2+]c dynamics can be simultaneously assessed on both cellular and collective level. Here, we measured [Ca2+]c transients across all relevant timescales, from a subsecond to a minute time range, using high-resolution imaging with a low-affinity Ca2+ sensor. We quantified the recordings with a novel computational framework for automatic image segmentation and [Ca2+]c event identification. Our results demonstrate that under physiological conditions the duration of [Ca2+]c events is variable, and segregated into three reproducible modes, subsecond, second, and tens of seconds time range, and are a result of a progressive temporal summation of the shortest events. Using pharmacological tools we show that activation of intracellular Ca2+ receptors is both sufficient and necessary for glucose-dependent [Ca2+]c oscillations in β cell collectives, and that a subset of [Ca2+]c events could be triggered even in the absence of Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane. In aggregate, our experimental and analytical platform was able to readily address the involvement of intracellular Ca2+ receptors in shaping the heterogeneity of [Ca2+]c responses in collectives of endocrine cells in situ.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Physiological glucose or ryanodine stimulation of β cell collectives generates a large number of [Ca2+]c events, which can be rapidly assessed with our newly developed automatic image segmentation and [Ca2+]c event identification pipeline. The event durations segregate into three reproducible modes produced by a progressive temporal summation. Using pharmacological tools, we show that activation of ryanodine intracellular Ca2+ receptors is both sufficient and necessary for glucose-dependent [Ca2+]c oscillations in β cell collectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Postić
- Center for physiology and pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Srdjan Sarikas
- Center for physiology and pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes Pfabe
- Center for physiology and pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Viljem Pohorec
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | | | - Nastja Sluga
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Maša Skelin Klemen
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Dean Korošak
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Carmella Evans-Molina
- Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases and the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - James D Johnson
- Diabetes Research Group, Life Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marjan Slak Rupnik
- Center for physiology and pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Alma Mater Europaea-European Center Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
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Marolt U, Paradiž Leitgeb E, Pohorec V, Lipovšek S, Venglovecz V, Gál E, Ébert A, Menyhárt I, Potrč S, Gosak M, Dolenšek J, Stožer A. Calcium imaging in intact mouse acinar cells in acute pancreas tissue slices. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268644. [PMID: 35657915 PMCID: PMC9165796 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The physiology and pathophysiology of the exocrine pancreas are in close connection to changes in intra-cellular Ca2+ concentration. Most of our knowledge is based on in vitro experiments on acinar cells or acini enzymatically isolated from their surroundings, which can alter their structure, physiology, and limit our understanding. Due to these limitations, the acute pancreas tissue slice technique was introduced almost two decades ago as a complementary approach to assess the morphology and physiology of both the endocrine and exocrine pancreas in a more conserved in situ setting. In this study, we extend previous work to functional multicellular calcium imaging on acinar cells in tissue slices. The viability and morphological characteristics of acinar cells within the tissue slice were assessed using the LIVE/DEAD assay, transmission electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence imaging. The main aim of our study was to characterize the responses of acinar cells to stimulation with acetylcholine and compare them with responses to cerulein in pancreatic tissue slices, with special emphasis on inter-cellular and inter-acinar heterogeneity and coupling. To this end, calcium imaging was performed employing confocal microscopy during stimulation with a wide range of acetylcholine concentrations and selected concentrations of cerulein. We show that various calcium oscillation parameters depend monotonically on the stimulus concentration and that the activity is rather well synchronized within acini, but not between acini. The acute pancreas tissue slice represents a viable and reliable experimental approach for the evaluation of both intra- and inter-cellular signaling characteristics of acinar cell calcium dynamics. It can be utilized to assess many cells simultaneously with a high spatiotemporal resolution, thus providing an efficient and high-yield platform for future studies of normal acinar cell biology, pathophysiology, and screening pharmacological substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urška Marolt
- Clinical department for abdominal and general surgery, University Medical Centre Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- * E-mail: (UM); (JD); (AS)
| | - Eva Paradiž Leitgeb
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Viljem Pohorec
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Saška Lipovšek
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Viktória Venglovecz
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Eleonóra Gál
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Attila Ébert
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - István Menyhárt
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Stojan Potrč
- Clinical department for abdominal and general surgery, University Medical Centre Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Marko Gosak
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- * E-mail: (UM); (JD); (AS)
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- * E-mail: (UM); (JD); (AS)
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Pohorec V, Križančić Bombek L, Skelin Klemen M, Dolenšek J, Stožer A. Glucose-Stimulated Calcium Dynamics in Beta Cells From Male C57BL/6J, C57BL/6N, and NMRI Mice: A Comparison of Activation, Activity, and Deactivation Properties in Tissue Slices. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:867663. [PMID: 35399951 PMCID: PMC8988149 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.867663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mice are a very instrumental model in islet beta cell research, possible phenotypic differences between strains and substrains are largely neglected in the scientific community. In this study, we show important phenotypic differences in beta cell responses to glucose between C57BL/6J, C57BL/6N, and NMRI mice, i.e., the three most commonly used strains. High-resolution multicellular confocal imaging of beta cells in acute pancreas tissue slices was used to measure and quantitatively compare the calcium dynamics in response to a wide range of glucose concentrations. Strain- and substrain-specific features were found in all three phases of beta cell responses to glucose: a shift in the dose-response curve characterizing the delay to activation and deactivation in response to stimulus onset and termination, respectively, and distinct concentration-encoding principles during the plateau phase in terms of frequency, duration, and active time changes with increasing glucose concentrations. Our results underline the significance of carefully choosing and reporting the strain to enable comparison and increase reproducibility, emphasize the importance of analyzing a number of different beta cell physiological parameters characterizing the response to glucose, and provide a valuable standard for future studies on beta cell calcium dynamics in health and disease in tissue slices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viljem Pohorec
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | | | - Maša Skelin Klemen
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Andraž Stožer, ; Jurij Dolenšek,
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Andraž Stožer, ; Jurij Dolenšek,
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Scholz O, Otter S, Welters A, Wörmeyer L, Dolenšek J, Klemen MS, Pohorec V, Eberhard D, Mrugala J, Hamacher A, Koch A, Sanz M, Hoffmann T, Hogeback J, Herebian D, Klöcker N, Piechot A, Mayatepek E, Meissner T, Stožer A, Lammert E. Peripherally active dextromethorphan derivatives lower blood glucose levels by targeting pancreatic islets. Cell Chem Biol 2021; 28:1474-1488.e7. [PMID: 34118188 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Dextromethorphan (DXM) acts as cough suppressant via its central action. Cell-protective effects of this drug have been reported in peripheral tissues, making DXM potentially useful for treatment of several common human diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Pancreatic islets are among the peripheral tissues that positively respond to DXM, and anti-diabetic effects of DXM were observed in two placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials in humans with T2DM. Since these effects were associated with central side effects, we here developed chemical derivatives of DXM that pass the blood-brain barrier to a significantly lower extent than the original drug. We show that basic nitrogen-containing residues block central adverse events of DXM without reducing its anti-diabetic effects, including the protection of human pancreatic islets from cell death. These results show how to chemically modify DXM, and possibly other morphinans, as to exclude central side effects, while targeting peripheral tissues, such as pancreatic islets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Okka Scholz
- Institute for Vascular and Islet Cell Biology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Center of Competence for Innovative Diabetes Therapy (KomIT), German Diabetes Center (DDZ), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Silke Otter
- Institute for Vascular and Islet Cell Biology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Center of Competence for Innovative Diabetes Therapy (KomIT), German Diabetes Center (DDZ), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alena Welters
- Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Laura Wörmeyer
- Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska ulica 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška cesta 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Maša Skelin Klemen
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska ulica 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Viljem Pohorec
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska ulica 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Daniel Eberhard
- Institute for Vascular and Islet Cell Biology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jessica Mrugala
- Institute for Vascular and Islet Cell Biology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Anna Hamacher
- Institute for Vascular and Islet Cell Biology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Angela Koch
- Institute of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Miguel Sanz
- Center of Competence for Innovative Diabetes Therapy (KomIT), German Diabetes Center (DDZ), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Taros Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Torsten Hoffmann
- Center of Competence for Innovative Diabetes Therapy (KomIT), German Diabetes Center (DDZ), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Taros Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jens Hogeback
- A&M Labor für Analytik und Metabolismusforschung Service GmbH, 50126 Bergheim, Germany
| | - Diran Herebian
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nikolaj Klöcker
- Institute of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alexander Piechot
- Center of Competence for Innovative Diabetes Therapy (KomIT), German Diabetes Center (DDZ), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Taros Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Ertan Mayatepek
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas Meissner
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska ulica 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Eckhard Lammert
- Institute for Vascular and Islet Cell Biology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Center of Competence for Innovative Diabetes Therapy (KomIT), German Diabetes Center (DDZ), 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
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Stožer A, Skelin Klemen M, Gosak M, Križančić Bombek L, Pohorec V, Slak Rupnik M, Dolenšek J. Glucose-dependent activation, activity, and deactivation of beta cell networks in acute mouse pancreas tissue slices. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2021; 321:E305-E323. [PMID: 34280052 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00043.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Many details of glucose-stimulated intracellular calcium changes in β cells during activation, activity, and deactivation, as well as their concentration-dependence, remain to be analyzed. Classical physiological experiments indicated that in islets, functional differences between individual cells are largely attenuated, but recent findings suggest considerable intercellular heterogeneity, with some cells possibly coordinating the collective responses. To address the above with an emphasis on heterogeneity and describing the relations between classical physiological and functional network properties, we performed functional multicellular calcium imaging in mouse pancreas tissue slices over a wide range of glucose concentrations. During activation, delays to activation of cells and any-cell-to-first-responder delays are shortened, and the sizes of simultaneously responding clusters increased with increasing glucose concentrations. Exactly the opposite characterized deactivation. The frequency of fast calcium oscillations during activity increased with increasing glucose up to 12 mM glucose concentration, beyond which oscillation duration became longer, resulting in a homogenous increase in active time. In terms of functional connectivity, islets progressed from a very segregated network to a single large functional unit with increasing glucose concentration. A comparison between classical physiological and network parameters revealed that the first-responders during activation had longer active times during plateau and the most active cells during the plateau tended to deactivate later. Cells with the most functional connections tended to activate sooner, have longer active times, and deactivate later. Our findings provide a common ground for recent differing views on β cell heterogeneity and an important baseline for future studies of stimulus-secretion and intercellular coupling.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We assessed concentration-dependence in coupled β cells, degree of functional heterogeneity, and uncovered possible specialized subpopulations during the different phases of the response to glucose at the level of many individual cells. To this aim, we combined acute mouse pancreas tissue slices with functional multicellular calcium imaging over a wide range from threshold (7 mM) and physiological (8 and 9 mM) to supraphysiological (12 and 16 mM) glucose concentrations, classical physiological, and advanced network analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andraž Stožer
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Maša Skelin Klemen
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Marko Gosak
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | | | - Viljem Pohorec
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Marjan Slak Rupnik
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Alma Mater Europaea-European Center Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
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Stožer A, Dolenšek J, Križančić Bombek L, Pohorec V, Slak Rupnik M, Klemen MS. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of Calcium Dynamics in Acute Mouse Pancreatic Tissue Slices. J Vis Exp 2021. [PMID: 33938876 DOI: 10.3791/62293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The acute mouse pancreatic tissue slice is a unique in situ preparation with preserved intercellular communication and tissue architecture that entails significantly fewer preparation-induced changes than isolated islets, acini, ducts, or dispersed cells described in typical in vitro studies. By combining the acute pancreatic tissue slice with live-cell calcium imaging in confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), calcium signals can be studied in a large number of endocrine and exocrine cells simultaneously, with a single-cell or even subcellular resolution. The sensitivity permits the detection of changes and enables the study of intercellular waves and functional connectivity as well as the study of the dependence of physiological responses of cells on their localization within the islet and paracrine relationship with other cells. Finally, from the perspective of animal welfare, recording signals from a large number of cells at a time lowers the number of animals required in experiments, contributing to the 3R-replacement, reduction, and refinement-principle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andraž Stožer
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor
| | | | - Viljem Pohorec
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor
| | - Marjan Slak Rupnik
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor; Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna
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Gál E, Dolenšek J, Stožer A, Pohorec V, Ébert A, Venglovecz V. A Novel in situ Approach to Studying Pancreatic Ducts in Mice. Front Physiol 2019; 10:938. [PMID: 31396104 PMCID: PMC6668154 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The tissue slice technique offers several benefits compared to isolated cells and cell clusters that help us understand the (patho)physiology of several organs in situ. The most prominent features are preserved architecture and function, with intact homotypic and heterotypic interactions between cells in slices. In the pancreas, this technique has been utilized successfully to study acinar and endocrine islet cells. However, it has never been used to investigate ductal function. Since pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (PDECs) play an essential role in the physiology of the pancreas, our aim was to use this technique to study PDEC structure and function in situ. Materials and methods: Eight- to sixteen weeks old C57BL/6 mice were used for preparation of pancreas tissue slices. Low melting point agarose was injected into the common bile duct and the whole organ was extracted. For morphological studies, pieces of tissue were embedded in agarose and cryosectioned to obtain 15 μm thick slices. In order to visualize pancreatic ducts, (i) the Giemsa dye was added to the agarose and visualized using light microscopy or (ii) immunostaining for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) was performed. For functional characterization, agarose-embedded tissue was immediately cut to 140 μm thick tissue slices that were loaded with the cell permeant form of the Oregon Green 488 BAPTA-1 dye and used for confocal calcium imaging. Results: Giemsa staining has shown that the injected agarose reaches the head and body of the pancreas to a greater extent than the tail, without disrupting the tissue architecture. Strong CFTR expression was detected at the apical membranes of PDECs and acinar cells, whereas islet cells were completely negative for CFTR. Stimulation with chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA, 1 mM) resulted in a robust transient increase in intracellular calcium concentration that was readily visible in >40 ductal cells per slice. Conclusion: Our results confirm that the acutely-isolated pancreas tissue slice technique is suitable for structural and functional investigation of PDECs and their relationship with other cell types, such as acini and endocrine cells in situ. In combination with different genetic, pharmacological or dietary approaches it could become a method of choice in the foreseeable future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonóra Gál
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Jurij Dolenšek
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia.,Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Andraž Stožer
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Viljem Pohorec
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Attila Ébert
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Viktória Venglovecz
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
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