scholarly journals Heterogeneous expression of CFTR in insulin-secreting β-cells of the normal human islet

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0242749
Author(s):  
Mauricio Di Fulvio ◽  
Marika Bogdani ◽  
Myrian Velasco ◽  
Timothy S. McMillen ◽  
Cecilia Ridaura ◽  
...  

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is due to mutations in the CF-transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and CF-related diabetes (CFRD) is its most common co-morbidity, affecting ~50% of all CF patients, significantly influencing pulmonary function and longevity. Yet, the complex pathogenesis of CFRD remains unclear. Two non-mutually exclusive underlying mechanisms have been proposed in CFRD: i) damage of the endocrine cells secondary to the severe exocrine pancreatic pathology and ii) intrinsic β-cell impairment of the secretory response in combination with other factors. The later has proven difficult to determine due to low expression of CFTR in β-cells, which results in the general perception that this Cl−channel does not participate in the modulation of insulin secretion or the development of CFRD. The objective of the present work is to demonstrate CFTR expression at the molecular and functional levels in insulin-secreting β-cells in normal human islets, where it seems to play a role. Towards this end, we have used immunofluorescence confocal and immunofluorescence microscopy, immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, Western blotting, pharmacology, electrophysiology and insulin secretory studies in normal human, rat and mouse islets. Our results demonstrate heterogeneous CFTR expression in human, mouse and rat β-cells and provide evidence that pharmacological inhibition of CFTR influences basal and stimulated insulin secretion in normal mouse islets but not in islets lacking this channel, despite being detected by electrophysiological means in ~30% of β-cells. Therefore, our results demonstrate a potential role for CFTR in the pancreatic β-cell secretory response suggesting that intrinsic β-cell dysfunction may also participate in the pathogenesis of CFRD.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Nasteska ◽  
Nicholas H. F. Fine ◽  
Fiona B. Ashford ◽  
Federica Cuozzo ◽  
Katrina Viloria ◽  
...  

AbstractTranscriptionally mature and immature β-cells co-exist within the adult islet. How such diversity contributes to insulin release remains poorly understood. Here we show that subtle differences in β-cell maturity, defined using PDX1 and MAFA expression, contribute to islet operation. Functional mapping of rodent and human islets containing proportionally more PDX1HIGH and MAFAHIGH β-cells reveals defects in metabolism, ionic fluxes and insulin secretion. At the transcriptomic level, the presence of increased numbers of PDX1HIGH and MAFAHIGH β-cells leads to dysregulation of gene pathways involved in metabolic processes. Using a chemogenetic disruption strategy, differences in PDX1 and MAFA expression are shown to depend on islet Ca2+ signaling patterns. During metabolic stress, islet function can be restored by redressing the balance between PDX1 and MAFA levels across the β-cell population. Thus, preserving heterogeneity in PDX1 and MAFA expression, and more widely in β-cell maturity, might be important for the maintenance of islet function.


2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romano Regazzi ◽  
Adriana Rodriguez-Trejo ◽  
Cécile Jacovetti

Insulin is a key hormone controlling metabolic homeostasis. Loss or dysfunction of pancreatic β-cells lead to the release of insufficient insulin to cover the organism needs, promoting diabetes development. Since dietary nutrients influence the activity of β-cells, their inadequate intake, absorption and/or utilisation can be detrimental. This review will highlight the physiological and pathological effects of nutrients on insulin secretion and discuss the underlying mechanisms. Glucose uptake and metabolism in β-cells trigger insulin secretion. This effect of glucose is potentiated by amino acids and fatty acids, as well as by entero-endocrine hormones and neuropeptides released by the digestive tract in response to nutrients. Glucose controls also basal and compensatory β-cell proliferation and, along with fatty acids, regulates insulin biosynthesis. If in the short-term nutrients promote β-cell activities, chronic exposure to nutrients can be detrimental to β-cells and causes reduced insulin transcription, increased basal secretion and impaired insulin release in response to stimulatory glucose concentrations, with a consequent increase in diabetes risk. Likewise, suboptimal early-life nutrition (e.g. parental high-fat or low-protein diet) causes altered β-cell mass and function in adulthood. The mechanisms mediating nutrient-induced β-cell dysfunction include transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translational modifications of genes involved in insulin biosynthesis and secretion, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, cell differentiation, proliferation and survival. Altered expression of these genes is partly caused by changes in non-coding RNA transcripts induced by unbalanced nutrient uptake. A better understanding of the mechanisms leading to β-cell dysfunction will be critical to improve treatment and find a cure for diabetes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 445-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Michalska ◽  
Gabriele Wolf ◽  
Reinhard Walther ◽  
Philip Newsholme

Various pancreatic β-cell stressors including cytokines and saturated fatty acids are known to induce oxidative stress, which results in metabolic disturbances and a reduction in insulin secretion. However, the key mechanisms underlying dysfunction are unknown. We investigated the effects of prolonged exposure (24 h) to pro-inflammatory cytokines, H2O2 or PA (palmitic acid) on β-cell insulin secretion, ATP, the NADPH oxidase (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase) component p47phox and iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) levels using primary mouse islets or clonal rat BRIN-BD11 β-cells. Addition of a pro-inflammatory cytokine mixture [IL-1β (interleukin-1β), TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α) and IFN-γ (interferon-γ)] or H2O2 (at sub-lethal concentrations) inhibited chronic (24 h) levels of insulin release by at least 50% (from islets and BRIN-BD11 cells), while addition of the saturated fatty acid palmitate inhibited acute (20 min) stimulated levels of insulin release from mouse islets. H2O2 decreased ATP levels in the cell line, but elevated p47phox and iNOS levels as did cytokine addition. Similar effects were observed in mouse islets with respect to elevation of p47phox and iNOS levels. Addition of antioxidants SOD (superoxide dismutase), Cat (catalase) and NAC (N-acetylcysteine) attenuated H2O2 or the saturated fatty acid palmitate-dependent effects, but not cytokine-induced dysfunction. However, specific chemical inhibitors of NADPH oxidase and/or iNOS appear to significantly attenuate the effects of cytokines, H2O2 or fatty acids in islets. While pro-inflammatory cytokines are known to increase p47phox and iNOS levels in β-cells, we now report that H2O2 can increase levels of the latter two proteins, suggesting a key role for positive-feedback redox sensitive regulation of β-cell dysfunction.


2018 ◽  
Vol 314 (5) ◽  
pp. E512-E521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Spelios ◽  
Lauren A. Afinowicz ◽  
Regine C. Tipon ◽  
Eitan M. Akirav

Three-dimensional (3D) pseudoislets (PIs) can be used for the study of insulin-producing β-cells in free-floating islet-like structures similar to that of primary islets. Previously, we demonstrated the ability of islet-derived endothelial cells (iECs) to induce PIs using murine insulinomas, where PI formation enhanced insulin production and glucose responsiveness. In this report, we examined the ability of iECs to spontaneously induce the formation of free-floating 3D PIs using the EndoC-βH1 human β-cell line murine MS1 iEC. Within 14 days, the coculturing of both cell types produced fully humanized EndoC-βH1 PIs with little to no contaminating murine iECs. The size and shape of these PIs were similar to primary human islets. iEC-induced PIs demonstrated reduced dysregulated insulin release under low glucose levels and higher insulin secretion in response to high glucose and exendin-4 [a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog] compared with monolayer cells cultured alone. Interestingly, iEC-PIs were also better at glucose sensing in the presence of extendin-4 compared with PIs generated on a low-adhesion surface plate in the absence of iECs and showed an overall improvement in cell viability. iEC-induced PIs exhibited increased expression of key genes involved in glucose transport, glucose sensing, β-cell differentiation, and insulin processing, with a concomitant decrease in glucagon mRNA expression. The enhanced responsiveness to exendin-4 was associated with increased protein expression of GLP-1 receptor and phosphokinase A. This rapid coculture system provides an unlimited number of human PIs with improved insulin secretion and GLP-1 responsiveness for the study of β-cell biology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Volta ◽  
M. Julia Scerbo ◽  
Anett Seelig ◽  
Robert Wagner ◽  
Nils O’Brien ◽  
...  

Abstract Diabetes mellitus affects one in eleven adults worldwide. Most suffer from Type 2 Diabetes which features elevated blood glucose levels and an inability to adequately secrete or respond to insulin. Insulin producing β-cells have primary cilia which are implicated in the regulation of glucose metabolism, insulin signaling and secretion. To better understand how β-cell cilia affect glucose handling, we ablate cilia from mature β-cells by deleting key cilia component Ift88. Here we report that glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion deteriorate over 12 weeks post-induction. Cilia/basal body components are required to suppress spontaneous auto-activation of EphA3 and hyper-phosphorylation of EphA receptors inhibits insulin secretion. In β-cells, loss of cilia/basal body function leads to polarity defects and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Defective insulin secretion from IFT88-depleted human islets and elevated pEPHA3 in islets from diabetic donors both point to a role for cilia/basal body proteins in human glucose homeostasis.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (3) ◽  
pp. E409-E416 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. S. Zawalich ◽  
K. C. Zawalich

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 223 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Rouse ◽  
Antoine Younès ◽  
Josephine M Egan

Resveratrol (RES) and curcumin (CUR) are polyphenols that are found in fruits and turmeric, and possess medicinal properties that are beneficial in various diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Results from recent studies have indicated that their therapeutic properties can be attributed to their anti-inflammatory effects. Owing to reports stating that they protect against β-cell dysfunction, we studied their mechanism(s) of action in β-cells. In T2DM, cAMP plays a critical role in glucose- and incretin-stimulated insulin secretion as well as overall pancreatic β-cell health. A potential therapeutic target in the management of T2DM lies in regulating the activity of phosphodiesterases (PDEs), which degrade cAMP. Both RES and CUR have been reported to act as PDE inhibitors in various cell types, but it remains unknown if they do so in pancreatic β-cells. In our current study, we found that both RES (0.1–10 μmol/l) and CUR (1–100 pmol/l)-regulated insulin secretion under glucose-stimulated conditions. Additionally, treating β-cell lines and human islets with these polyphenols led to increased intracellular cAMP levels in a manner similar to 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, a classic PDE inhibitor. When we investigated the effects of RES and CUR on PDEs, we found that treatment significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of most of the 11 PDE isozymes, including PDE3B, PDE8A, and PDE10A, which have been linked previously to regulation of insulin secretion in islets. Furthermore, RES and CUR inhibited PDE activity in a dose-dependent manner in β-cell lines and human islets. Collectively, we demonstrate a novel role for natural-occurring polyphenols as PDE inhibitors that enhance pancreatic β-cell function.


2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanta J. Persaud ◽  
Dany Muller ◽  
Peter M. Jones

Studies in transgenic animals, rodent insulin-secreting cell lines and rodent islets suggest that insulin acts in an autocrine manner to regulate β-cell mass and gene expression. Very little is known about the in vitro roles played by insulin in human islets, and the regulatory role of insulin in protecting against β-cell apoptosis. We have identified mRNAs encoding IRs (insulin receptors) and downstream signalling elements in dissociated human islet β-cells by single-cell RT (reverse transcription)–PCR, and perifusion studies have indicated that insulin does not have an autocrine role to regulate insulin secretion from human islets, but activation of the closely related IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) receptors is linked to inhibition of insulin secretion. Knockdown of IR mRNA by siRNAs (small interfering RNAs) decreased IR protein expression without affecting IGF-1 receptor levels, and blocked glucose stimulation of preproinsulin gene expression. Similar results were obtained when human islet IRS (IR substrate)-2 was knocked down, whereas depletion of IRS-1 caused an increase in preproinsulin mRNA levels. Studies using the mouse MIN6 β-cell line indicated that glucose protected β-cells from undergoing apoptosis and that this was a consequence, at least in part, of insulin release in response to elevated glucose. IGF-1 also exerted anti-apoptotic effects. These data indicate that insulin can exert autocrine effects in human islets through receptors on β-cells. It protects β-cells against apoptosis and increases preproinsulin mRNA synthesis, but does not affect insulin secretion.


Endocrinology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 150 (7) ◽  
pp. 3049-3057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörgen Borg ◽  
Cecilia Klint ◽  
Nils Wierup ◽  
Kristoffer Ström ◽  
Sara Larsson ◽  
...  

Lipids have been shown to play a dual role in pancreatic β-cells: a lipid-derived signal appears to be necessary for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, whereas lipid accumulation causes impaired insulin secretion and apoptosis. The ability of the protein perilipin to regulate lipolysis prompted an investigation of the presence of perilipin in the islets of Langerhans. In this study evidence is presented for perilipin expression in rat, mouse, and human islets of Langerhans as well as the rat clonal β-cell line INS-1. In rat and mouse islets, perilipin was verified to be present in β-cells. To examine whether the development of lipotoxicity could be prevented by manipulating the conditions for lipid storage in the β-cell, INS-1 cells with adenoviral-mediated overexpression of perilipin were exposed to lipotoxic conditions for 72 h. In cells exposed to palmitate, perilipin overexpression caused increased accumulation of triacylglycerols and decreased lipolysis compared with control cells. Whereas glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was retained after palmitate exposure in cells overexpressing perilipin, it was completely abolished in control β-cells. Thus, overexpression of perilipin appears to confer protection against the development of β-cell dysfunction after prolonged exposure to palmitate by promoting lipid storage and limiting lipolysis.


2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (2) ◽  
pp. E313-E321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Géraldine Parnaud ◽  
Eva Hammar ◽  
Dominique G. Rouiller ◽  
Domenico Bosco

In addition to promoting insulin secretion, an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ triggered by glucose has been shown to be crucial for spreading of β-cells attached on extracellular matrix (804G matrix). Calpains are Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases involved in an extended spectrum of cellular responses, including cytoskeletal rearrangements and vesicular trafficking. The present work aimed to assess whether calpain is also implicated in the process of Ca2+-induced insulin secretion and spreading of rat pancreatic β-cells. The results indicate calpain dependency of β-cell spreading on 804G matrix. Indeed, treatment with three distinct calpain inhibitors (N-Ac-Leu-Leu-norleucinal, calpeptin, and ethyl(+)-(2S,3S)-3-[(S)-3-methyl-1-(3-methylbutylcarbamoyl)butyl-carbamoyl]-2-ox-iranecarboxylate) inhibited cell spreading induced by glucose and KCl, whereas cell attachment was not significantly modified. Calpain inhibitors also suppressed glucose- and KCl-stimulated insulin secretion without affecting insulin synthesis. Washing the inhibitor out of the cell culture restored spreading on 804G matrix and insulin secretory response after 24 h. In addition, incubation with calpeptin did not affect insulin secretory response to mastoparan that acts on exocytosis downstream of intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i. Finally, calpeptin was shown to affect the [Ca2+]i response to glucose but not to KCl. In summary, the results show that inhibition of calpain blocks spreading and insulin secretion of primary pancreatic β-cells. It is therefore suggested that calpain could be a mediator of Ca2+-induced-insulin secretion and β-cell spreading.


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