A vascularized 3D model of the human pancreatic islet forex vivostudy of immune cell-islet interaction

Insulin is an essential regulator of blood glucose homeostasis that is produced exclusively byβcells within the pancreatic islets of healthy individuals. In those affected by diabetes, immune inflammation, damage, and destruction of isletβcells leads to insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia. Current efforts to understand the mechanisms underlyingβcell damage in diabetes rely onin vitro-cultured cadaveric islets. However, isolation of these islets involves removal of crucial matrix and vasculature that supports islets in the intact pancreas. Unsurprisingly, these islets demonstrate reduced functionality over time in standard culture conditions, thereby limiting their value for understanding native islet biology. Leveraging a novel, vascularized micro-organ (VMO) approach, we have recapitulated elements of the native pancreas by incorporating isolated human islets within a three-dimensional matrix nourished by living, perfusable blood vessels. Importantly, these islets show long-term viability and maintain robust glucose-stimulated insulin responses. Furthermore, vessel-mediated delivery of immune cells to these tissues provides a model to assess islet-immune cell interactions and subsequent islet killing-key steps in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis. Together, these results establish the islet-VMO as a novel,ex vivoplatform for studying human islet biology in both health and disease.

Recent Developments in Islet Biology: A Review With Patient Perspectives

Navigating the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19, now COVID) pandemic has required resilience and creativity worldwide. Despite early challenges to productivity, more than 2,000 peer-reviewed articles on islet biology were published in 2021. Herein, we highlight noteworthy advances in islet research between January 2021 and April 2022, focussing on 5 areas. First, we discuss new insights into the role of glucokinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase and mitochondrial function on insulin secretion from the pancreatic β cell, provided by new genetically modified mouse models and live imaging. We then discuss a new connection between lipid handling and improved insulin secretion in the context of glucotoxicity, focussing on fatty acid-binding protein 4 and fetuin-A. Advances in high-throughput "omic" analysis evolved to where one can generate more finely tuned genetic and molecular profiles within broad classifications of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Next, we highlight breakthroughs in diabetes treatment using stem cell-derived β cells and innovative strategies to improve islet survival posttransplantation. Last, we update our understanding of the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection on pancreatic islet function and discuss current evidence regarding proposed links between COVID and new-onset diabetes. We address these breakthroughs in 2 settings: one for a scientific audience and the other for the public, particularly those living with or affected by diabetes. Bridging biomedical research in diabetes to the community living with or affected by diabetes, our partners living with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes also provide their perspectives on these latest advances in islet biology.

Sex-biased islet β cell dysfunction is caused by the MODY MAFA S64F variant by inducing premature aging and senescence in males

A heterozygous missense mutation of the islet β cell-enriched MAFA transcription factor (p.Ser64Phe [S64F]) is found in patients with adult-onset β cell dysfunction (diabetes or insulinomatosis), with men more prone to diabetes than women. This mutation engenders increased stability to the unstable MAFA protein. Here, we develop a S64F MafA mouse model to determine how β cell function is affected and find sex-dependent phenotypes. Heterozygous mutant males (MafAS64F/+) display impaired glucose tolerance, while females are slightly hypoglycemic with improved blood glucose clearance. Only MafAS64F/+ males show transiently higher MafA protein levels preceding glucose intolerance and sex-dependent changes to genes involved in Ca2+ signaling, DNA damage, aging, and senescence. MAFAS64F production in male human β cells also accelerate cellular senescence and increase senescence-associated secretory proteins compared to cells expressing MAFAWT. These results implicate a conserved mechanism of accelerated islet aging and senescence in promoting diabetes in MAFAS64F carriers in a sex-biased manner.

Maternal low-protein diet on the last week of pregnancy contributes to insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction in the mouse offspring

Maternal low-protein diet (LP) throughout gestation affects pancreatic β-cell fraction of the offspring at birth, thus increasing their susceptibility to metabolic dysfunction and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. The present study sought to strictly examine the effects of LP during the last week of gestation (LP12.5) alone as a developmental window for β-cell programming and metabolic dysfunction in adulthood. Islet morphology analysis revealed normal β-cell fraction in LP12.5 newborns. Normal glucose tolerance was observed in 6- to 8-wk-old male and female LP12.5 offspring. However, male LP12.5 offspring displayed glucose intolerance and reduced insulin sensitivity associated with β-cell dysfunction with aging. High-fat diet exposure of metabolically normal 12-wk-old male LP12.5 induced glucose intolerance due to increased body weight, insulin resistance, and insufficient β-cell mass adaptation despite higher insulin secretion. Assessment of epigenetic mechanisms through microRNAs (miRs) by a real-time PCR-based microarray in islets revealed elevation in miRs that regulate insulin secretion (miRs 342, 143), insulin resistance (miR143), and obesity (miR219). In the islets, overexpression of miR143 reduced insulin secretion in response to glucose. In contrast to the model of LP exposure throughout pregnancy, islet protein levels of mTOR and pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 were normal in LP12.5 islets. Collectively, these data suggest that LP diet during the last week of pregnancy is critical and sufficient to induce specific and distinct developmental programming effects of tissues that control glucose homeostasis, thus causing permanent changes in specific set of microRNAs that may contribute to the overall vulnerability of the offspring to obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Dynamics of glucagon secretion in mice and rats revealed using a validated sandwich ELISA for small sample volumes

Glucagon is a metabolically important hormone, but many aspects of its physiology remain obscure, because glucagon secretion is difficult to measure in mice and rats due to methodological inadequacies. Here, we introduce and validate a low-volume, enzyme-linked immunosorbent glucagon assay according to current analytical guidelines, including tests of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, and compare it, using the Bland-Altman algorithm and size-exclusion chromatography, with three other widely cited assays. After demonstrating adequate performance of the assay, we measured glucagon secretion in response to intravenous glucose and arginine in anesthetized mice (isoflurane) and rats (Hypnorm/midazolam). Glucose caused a long-lasting suppression to very low values (1-2 pmol/l) within 2 min in both species. Arginine stimulated secretion 8- to 10-fold in both species, peaking at 1-2 min and returning to basal levels at 6 min (mice) and 12 min (rats). d-Mannitol (osmotic control) was without effect. Ketamine/xylazine anesthesia in mice strongly attenuated (P < 0.01) α-cell responses. Chromatography of pooled plasma samples confirmed the accuracy of the assay. In conclusion, dynamic analysis of glucagon secretion in rats and mice with the novel accurate sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed extremely rapid and short-lived responses to arginine and rapid and profound suppression by glucose.