scholarly journals Synthesis and in vivo behaviour of an exendin-4-based MRI probe capable of β-cell-dependent contrast enhancement in the pancreas

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (15) ◽  
pp. 4732-4740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Clough ◽  
Nicoleta Baxan ◽  
Emma J. Coakley ◽  
Charlotte Rivas ◽  
Lan Zhao ◽  
...  

A novel probe based on an exendin-4-dota(ga) conjugate, GdEx, is presented. GdEx accumulates in the pancreas, allowing organ-specific contrast enhancement which is reduced in mouse models where pancreatic β-cells are depleted.

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1892-1904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan-dan Yin ◽  
Er-bao Zhang ◽  
Liang-hui You ◽  
Ning Wang ◽  
Lin-tao Wang ◽  
...  

Background: Increasing evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs (IncRNAs) perform specific biological functions in diverse processes. Recent studies have reported that IncRNAs may be involved in β cell function. The aim of this study was to characterize the role of IncRNA TUG1 in mouse pancreatic β cell functioning both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: qRT-PCR analyses were performed to detect the expression of lncRNA TUG1 in different tissues. RNAi, MTT, TUNEL and Annexin V-FITC assays and western blot, GSIS, ELISA and immunochemistry analyses were performed to detect the effect of lncRNA TUG1 on cell apoptosis and insulin secretion in vitro and in vivo. Results: lncRNA TUG1 was highly expressed in pancreatic tissue compared with other organ tissues, and expression was dynamically regulated by glucose in Nit-1 cells. Knockdown of lncRNA TUG1 expression resulted in an increased apoptosis ratio and decreased insulin secretion in β cells both in vitro and in vivo . Immunochemistry analyses suggested decreased relative islet area after treatment with lncRNA TUG1 siRNA. Conclusion: Downregulation of lncRNA TUG1 expression affected apoptosis and insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells in vitro and in vivo. lncRNA TUG1 may represent a factor that regulates the function of pancreatic β cells.


2007 ◽  
Vol 193 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin Tsunekawa ◽  
Naoki Yamamoto ◽  
Katsura Tsukamoto ◽  
Yuji Itoh ◽  
Yukiko Kaneko ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo and in vitro effects of exendin-4, a potent glucagon-like peptide 1 agonist, on the protection of the pancreatic β-cells against their cell death. In in vivo experiments, we used β-cell-specific calmodulin-overexpressing mice where massive apoptosis takes place in their β-cells, and we examined the effects of chronic treatment with exendin-4. Chronic and s.c. administration of exendin-4 reduced hyperglycemia. The treatment caused significant increases of the insulin contents of the pancreas and islets, and retained the insulin-positive area. Dispersed transgenic islet cells lived only shortly, and several endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related molecules such as immunoglobulin-binding protein (Bip), inositol-requiring enzyme-1α, X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1), RNA-activated protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase, activating transcription factor-4, and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) were more expressed in the transgenic islets. We also found that the spliced form of XBP-1, a marker of ER stress, was also increased in β-cell-specific calmodulin-overexpressing transgenic islets. In the quantitative real-time PCR analyses, the expression levels of Bip and CHOP were reduced in the islets from the transgenic mice treated with exendin-4. These findings suggest that excess of ER stress occurs in the transgenic β-cells, and the suppression of ER stress and resultant protection against cell death may be involved in the anti-diabetic effects of exendin-4.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (49) ◽  
pp. E6818-E6824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Rossi ◽  
Inigo Ruiz de Azua ◽  
Luiz F. Barella ◽  
Wataru Sakamoto ◽  
Lu Zhu ◽  
...  

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate virtually all physiological functions including the release of insulin from pancreatic β-cells. β-Cell M3 muscarinic receptors (M3Rs) are known to play an essential role in facilitating insulin release and maintaining proper whole-body glucose homeostasis. As is the case with other GPCRs, M3R activity is regulated by phosphorylation by various kinases, including GPCR kinases and casein kinase 2 (CK2). At present, it remains unknown which of these various kinases are physiologically relevant for the regulation of β-cell activity. In the present study, we demonstrate that inhibition of CK2 in pancreatic β-cells, knockdown of CK2α expression, or genetic deletion of CK2α in β-cells of mutant mice selectively augmented M3R-stimulated insulin release in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies showed that this effect was associated with an M3R-mediated increase in intracellular calcium levels. Treatment of mouse pancreatic islets with CX4945, a highly selective CK2 inhibitor, greatly reduced agonist-induced phosphorylation of β-cell M3Rs, indicative of CK2-mediated M3R phosphorylation. We also showed that inhibition of CK2 greatly enhanced M3R-stimulated insulin secretion in human islets. Finally, CX4945 treatment protected mice against diet-induced hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance in an M3R-dependent fashion. Our data demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, the physiological relevance of CK2 phosphorylation of a GPCR and suggest the novel concept that kinases acting on β-cell GPCRs may represent novel therapeutic targets.


2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (12) ◽  
pp. E1263-E1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijuan Shao ◽  
Zhaoxia Wang ◽  
Wilfred Ip ◽  
Yu-Ting Chiang ◽  
Xiaoquan Xiong ◽  
...  

Recent studies have demonstrated that the COOH-terminal fragment of the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a nonapeptide GLP-1(28–36)amide, attenuates diabetes and hepatic steatosis in diet-induced obese mice. However, the effect of this nonapeptide in pancreatic β-cells remains largely unknown. Here, we show that in a streptozotocin-induced mouse diabetes model, GLP-1(28–36)amide improved glucose disposal and increased pancreatic β-cell mass and β-cell proliferation. An in vitro investigation revealed that GLP-1(28–36)amide stimulates β-catenin (β-cat) Ser675 phosphorylation in both the clonal INS-1 cell line and rat primary pancreatic islet cells. In INS-1 cells, the stimulation was accompanied by increased nuclear β-cat content. GLP-1(28–36)amide was also shown to increase cellular cAMP levels, PKA enzymatic activity, and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and cyclic AMP-dependent transcription factor-1 (ATF-1) phosphorylation. Furthermore, GLP-1(28–36)amide treatment enhanced islet insulin secretion and increased the growth of INS-1 cells, which was associated with increased cyclin D1 expression. Finally, PKA inhibition attenuated the effect of GLP-1(28–36)amide on β-cat Ser675 phosphorylation and cyclin D1 expression in the INS-1 cell line. We have thus revealed the beneficial effect of GLP-1(28–36)amide in pancreatic β-cells in vitro and in vivo. Our observations suggest that GLP-1(28–36)amide may exert its effect through the PKA/β-catenin signaling pathway.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryota Usui ◽  
Daisuke Yabe ◽  
Muhammad Fauzi ◽  
Hisanori Goto ◽  
Ainur Botagarova ◽  
...  

Abstract The long-chain fatty acid receptor GPR40 plays an important role in potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion (GIIS) from pancreatic β-cells. Previous studies demonstrated that GPR40 activation enhances Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by activating inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) receptors. However, it remains unknown how ER Ca2+ release via the IP3 receptor is linked to GIIS potentiation. Recently, stromal interaction molecule (STIM) 1 was identified as a key regulator of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), but little is known about its contribution in GPR40 signaling. We show that GPR40-mediated potentiation of GIIS is abolished by knockdown of IP3 receptor 1 (IP3R1), STIM1 or Ca2+-channel Orai1 in insulin-secreting MIN6 cells. STIM1 and Orai1 knockdown significantly impaired SOCE and the increase of intracellular Ca2+ by the GPR40 agonist, fasiglifam. Furthermore, β-cell-specific STIM1 knockout mice showed impaired fasiglifam-mediated GIIS potentiation not only in isolated islets but also in vivo. These results indicate that the IP3R1/STIM1/Orai1 pathway plays an important role in GPR40-mediated SOCE initiation and GIIS potentiation in pancreatic β-cells.


Endocrinology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 161 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liwen Fan ◽  
Aijing Shan ◽  
Yutong Su ◽  
Yulong Cheng ◽  
He Ji ◽  
...  

Abstract Microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are essential for the regulation of development, proliferation, and functions of pancreatic β-cells. The conserved miR-221/222 cluster is an important regulator in multiple cellular processes. Here we investigated the functional role of miR-221/222 in the regulation of β-cell proliferation and functions in transgenic mouse models. We generated 2 pancreatic β-cell-specific–miR-221/222 transgenic mouse models on a C57BL/6J background. The glucose metabolic phenotypes, β-cell mass, and β-cell functions were analyzed in the mouse models. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of miR-221/222 was performed on β-cells and mouse insulinoma 6 (MIN6) cells to explore the effect and mechanisms of miR-221/222 on β-cell proliferation and functions. Luciferase reporter assay, histological analysis, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were carried out to study the direct target genes of miR-221/222 in β-cells. The expression of miR-221/222 was significantly upregulated in β-cells from the high-fat diet (HFD)–fed mice and db/db mice. Overexpression of miR-221/222 impaired the insulin production and secretion of β-cells and resulted in glucose intolerance in vivo. The β-cell mass and proliferation were increased by miR-221/222 expression via Cdkn1b and Cdkn1c. MiR-221/222 repressed insulin transcription activity through targeting Nfatc3 and lead to reduction of insulin in β-cells. Our findings demonstrate that miR-221/222 are important regulators of β-cell proliferation and insulin production. The expression of miR-221/222 in β-cells could regulate glucose metabolism in physiological and pathological processes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (6) ◽  
pp. E1168-E1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günter Päth ◽  
Anne Opel ◽  
Martin Gehlen ◽  
Veit Rothhammer ◽  
Xinjie Niu ◽  
...  

p8 protein expression is known to be upregulated in the exocrine pancreas during acute pancreatitis. Own previous work revealed glucose-dependent p8 expression also in endocrine pancreatic β-cells. Here we demonstrate that glucose-induced INS-1 β-cell expansion is preceded by p8 protein expression. Moreover, isopropylthiogalactoside (IPTG)-induced p8 overexpression in INS-1 β-cells (p8-INS-1) enhances cell proliferation and expansion in the presence of glucose only. Although β-cell-related gene expression (PDX-1, proinsulin I, GLUT2, glucokinase, amylin) and function (insulin content and secretion) are slightly reduced during p8 overexpression, removal of IPTG reverses β-cell function within 24 h to normal levels. In addition, insulin secretion of p8-INS-1 β-cells in response to 0–25 mM glucose is not altered by preceding p8-induced β-cell expansion. Adenovirally transduced p8 overexpression in primary human pancreatic islets increases proliferation, expansion, and cumulative insulin secretion in vitro. Transplantation of mock-transduced control islets under the kidney capsule of immunosuppressed streptozotocin-diabetic mice reduces blood glucose and increases human C-peptide serum concentrations to stable levels after 3 days. In contrast, transplantation of equal numbers of p8-transduced islets results in a continuous decrease of blood glucose and increase of human C-peptide beyond 3 days, indicating p8-induced expansion of transplanted human β-cells in vivo. This is underlined by a doubling of insulin content in kidneys containing p8-transduced islet grafts explanted on day 9. These results establish p8 as a novel molecular mediator of glucose-induced pancreatic β-cell expansion in vitro and in vivo and support the notion of existing β-cell replication in the adult organism.


2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1208-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichiro Nakajima ◽  
Shalini Jain ◽  
Inigo Ruiz de Azua ◽  
Sara M. McMillin ◽  
Mario Rossi ◽  
...  

The release of insulin from pancreatic β-cells is regulated by a considerable number of G protein–coupled receptors. During the past several years, we have focused on the physiological importance of β-cell M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (M3Rs). At the molecular level, the M3R selectively activates G proteins of the Gq family. Phenotypic analysis of several M3R mutant mouse models, including a mouse strain that lacks M3Rs only in pancreatic β-cells, indicated that β-cell M3Rs play a key role in maintaining blood glucose levels within a normal range. Additional studies with transgenic M3R mouse models strongly suggest that strategies aimed to enhance signaling through β-cell M3Rs may prove useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. More recently, we analyzed transgenic mice that expressed an M3R-based designer receptor in a β-cell–specific fashion, which enabled us to chronically activate a β-cell Gq-coupled receptor by a drug that is otherwise pharmacologically inert. Drug-dependent activation of this designer receptor stimulated the sequential activation of Gq, phospholipase C, ERK1/2, and insulin receptor substrate 2 signaling, thus triggering a series of events that greatly improved β-cell function. Most importantly, chronic stimulation of this pathway protected mice against experimentally induced diabetes and glucose intolerance, induced either by streptozotocin or by the consumption of an energy-rich, high-fat diet. Because β-cells are endowed with numerous receptors that mediate their cellular effects via activation of Gq-type G proteins, these findings provide a rational basis for the development of novel antidiabetic drugs targeting this class of receptors.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. White ◽  
Lisa Zhang ◽  
Yu Hsuan Carol Yang ◽  
Dan S. Luciani

ABSTRACTER stress and apoptosis contribute to the loss of pancreatic β-cells under the pro-diabetic conditions of glucolipotoxicity. Although activation of the canonical pathway of intrinsic apoptosis is known to require Bax and Bak, their individual and combined involvement in glucolipotoxic β-cell death have not been demonstrated. It has also remained an open question if Bax and Bak in β-cells have non-apoptotic roles in mitochondrial function and ER stress signaling, as suggested in other cell types. Using mice with individual or combined β-cell deletion of Bax and Bak, we demonstrated that glucolipotoxic β-cell death in vitro happens in sequential stages; first via non-apoptotic mechanisms and later by apoptosis, which Bax and Bak were redundant in triggering. In contrast, they had non-redundant roles in mediating staurosporine-induced β-cell apoptosis. We further established that Bax and Bak do not affect normal glucose-stimulated β-cell Ca2+ responses, insulin secretion, or in vivo glucose tolerance. Finally, our experiments revealed that Bax and Bak together dampen the unfolded protein response in β-cells during the early stages of chemical- or glucolipotoxicity-induced ER stress. These findings identify novel roles of the canonical apoptosis machinery in modulating stress signals that are important for the pathobiology of β-cells in diabetes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna A. Anastasiou ◽  
Ioanna Eleftheriadou ◽  
Anastasios Tentolouris ◽  
Chrysi Koliaki ◽  
Ourania A. Kosta ◽  
...  

Background: Oxidative stress is a hallmark of many diseases. A growing body of evidence suggests that hyperglycemiainduced oxidative stress plays an important role in pancreatic β-cells dysfunction and apoptosis as well as in the development and progression of diabetic complications. Considering the vulnerability of pancreatic β-cells to oxidative damage, induction of endogenous antioxidant enzymes or exogenous antioxidant administration has been proposed to protect pancreatic β-cells from damage. Objectives: The present review aims to provide evidence of the effect of oxidative stress and antioxidant therapies on pancreatic β-cell function, based on in vitro and in vivo studies. Methods: The medline and embase databases were searched to retrieve available data. Results: Due to poor endogenous antioxidant mechanisms pancreatic β-cells are extremely sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many natural extracts have been tested in vitro in pancreatic β-cell lines in terms of their antioxidant and diabetes mellitus ameliorating effects, and the majority of them have shown a dose-dependent protective role. On the other hand, there is relatively limited evidence regarding the in vitro antioxidant effects of antidiabetic drugs on pancreatic β-cells. About in vivo studies several natural extracts have shown beneficial effects in the setting of diabetes by decreasing blood glucose and lipid levels, increasing insulin sensitivity, and by up-regulating intrinsic antioxidant enzyme activity. However, there is limited evidence obtained from in vivo studies regarding antidiabetic drugs. Conclusion: Antioxidants hold promise for developing strategies aimed at the prevention or treatment of diabetes mellitus associated with pancreatic β-cells dysfunction, as supported by in vitro and in vivo studies. However, more in vitro studies are required about drugs.


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