scholarly journals Role of leptin in the pancreatic β-cell: effects and signaling pathways

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. R9-R17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Marroquí ◽  
Alejandro Gonzalez ◽  
Patricia Ñeco ◽  
Ernesto Caballero-Garrido ◽  
Elaine Vieira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Glucose Homeostasis ◽  
Endocrine Pancreas ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Pancreatic Β Cell ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Leptin Receptors ◽  
Β Cell Function ◽  
Insulin Gene Expression

Leptin plays an important role in the control of food intake, energy expenditure, metabolism, and body weight. This hormone also has a key function in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Although leptin acts through central and peripheral mechanisms to modulate glucose metabolism, the pancreatic β-cell of the endocrine pancreas is a critical target of leptin actions. Leptin receptors are present in the β-cell, and their activation directly inhibits insulin secretion from these endocrine cells. The effects of leptin on insulin occur also in the long term, since this hormone inhibits insulin gene expression as well. Additionally, β-cell mass can be affected by leptin through changes in proliferation, apoptosis, or cell size. All these different functions in the β-cell are triggered by leptin as a result of the large diversity of signaling pathways that this hormone is able to activate in the endocrine pancreas. Therefore, leptin can participate in glucose homeostasis owing to different levels of modulation of the pancreatic β-cell population. Furthermore, it has been proposed that alterations in this level of regulation could contribute to the impairment of β-cell function in obesity states. In the present review, we will discuss all these issues with special emphasis on the effects and pathways of leptin signaling in the pancreatic β-cell.

scholarly journals A crosstalk between E2F1 and GLP-1 signaling pathways modulates insulin secretion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril Bourouh ◽  
Emilie Courty ◽  
Gianni Pasquetti ◽  
Xavier Gromada ◽  
Nabil Rabhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Glucose Homeostasis ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Cell Functions ◽  
Β Cell Function

AbstractCompromised β-cell function contributes to type 2 diabetes (T2D) development. The glucagon like peptide 1 (Glp-1) has emerged as a hormone with broad pharmacological potential toward T2D treatment, notably by improving β-cell functions. Recent data have shown that the transcription factor E2f1, besides its role as a cell cycle regulator, is involved in glucose homeostasis by modulating β-cell mass, function and identity. Here, we demonstrate a crosstalk between the E2F1, phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (pRb) and Glp-1 signaling pathways. We found that β-cell specific E2f1 deficient mice (E2f1β−/−) presented with impaired glucose homeostasis and decreased glucose stimulated-insulin secretion mediated by exendin 4 (i.e., GLP1R agonist), which were associated with decreased expression of Glp1r encoding Glp-1 receptor (GLP1R) in E2f1β−/− pancreatic islets. Decreasing E2F1 transcriptional activity with an E2F inhibitor in islets from nondiabetic humans decreased GLP1R levels and blunted the incretin effect of exendin 4 on insulin secretion. Conversely, overexpressing E2f1 in pancreatic β cells increased Glp1r expression associated with enhanced insulin secretion mediated by GLP1R agonist. Interestingly, kinome analysis of mouse islets demonstrated that an acute treatment with exendin 4 increased pRb phosphorylation and subsequent E2f1 transcriptional activity. This study suggests a molecular crosstalk between the E2F1/pRb and GLP1R signaling pathways that modulates insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis.

scholarly journals NKX6.1 transcription factor: a crucial regulator of pancreatic β cell development, identity, and proliferation

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Idil I. Aigha ◽  
Essam M. Abdelalim
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Cell Development ◽  
Pancreatic Β Cell ◽  
Β Cells ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Β Cell Function

Abstract Understanding the biology underlying the mechanisms and pathways regulating pancreatic β cell development is necessary to understand the pathology of diabetes mellitus (DM), which is characterized by the progressive reduction in insulin-producing β cell mass. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can potentially offer an unlimited supply of functional β cells for cellular therapy and disease modeling of DM. Homeobox protein NKX6.1 is a transcription factor (TF) that plays a critical role in pancreatic β cell function and proliferation. In human pancreatic islet, NKX6.1 expression is exclusive to β cells and is undetectable in other islet cells. Several reports showed that activation of NKX6.1 in PSC-derived pancreatic progenitors (MPCs), expressing PDX1 (PDX1+/NKX6.1+), warrants their future commitment to monohormonal β cells. However, further differentiation of MPCs lacking NKX6.1 expression (PDX1+/NKX6.1−) results in an undesirable generation of non-functional polyhormonal β cells. The importance of NKX6.1 as a crucial regulator in MPC specification into functional β cells directs attentions to further investigating its mechanism and enhancing NKX6.1 expression as a means to increase β cell function and mass. Here, we shed light on the role of NKX6.1 during pancreatic β cell development and in directing the MPCs to functional monohormonal lineage. Furthermore, we address the transcriptional mechanisms and targets of NKX6.1 as well as its association with diabetes.

scholarly journals Biphasic Response of Pancreatic β-Cell Mass to Ablation of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2 in Mice

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 2971-2979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Shigeyama ◽  
Toshiyuki Kobayashi ◽  
Yoshiaki Kido ◽  
Naoko Hashimoto ◽  
Shun-ichiro Asahara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tuberous Sclerosis ◽  
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin ◽  
Pancreatic Β Cell ◽  
Β Cells ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Islet Mass ◽  
Β Cell Function

ABSTRACT Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of insulin or insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) for regulation of pancreatic β-cell mass. Given the role of tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2) as an upstream molecule of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), we examined the effect of TSC2 deficiency on β-cell function. Here, we show that mice deficient in TSC2, specifically in pancreatic β cells (βTSC2−/− mice), manifest increased IGF-1-dependent phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase and 4E-BP1 in islets as well as an initial increased islet mass attributable in large part to increases in the sizes of individual β cells. These mice also exhibit hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia at young ages (4 to 28 weeks). After 40 weeks of age, however, the βTSC2−/− mice develop progressive hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia accompanied by a reduction in islet mass due predominantly to a decrease in the number of β cells. These results thus indicate that TSC2 regulates pancreatic β-cell mass in a biphasic manner.

scholarly journals Prevention of Diabetes in db/db Mice by Dietary Soy Is Independent of Isoflavone Levels

Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (11) ◽  
pp. 5200-5211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Zimmermann ◽  
Christopher R. Cederroth ◽  
Lucie Bourgoin ◽  
Michelangelo Foti ◽  
Serge Nef
Keyword(s):  
Glucose Homeostasis ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Hepatic Glucose Production ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Glucose Production ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Pancreatic Β Cell ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Hepatic Glucose

Abstract Recent evidence points towards the beneficial use of soy proteins and isoflavones to improve glucose control and slow the progression of type 2 diabetes. Here, we used diabetic db/db mice fed a high soy-containing diet (SD) or a casein soy-free diet to investigate the metabolic effects of soy and isoflavones consumption on glucose homeostasis, hepatic glucose production, and pancreatic islet function. Male db/db mice fed with a SD exhibited a robust reduction in hyperglycemia (50%), correlating with a reduction in hepatic glucose production and preserved pancreatic β-cell function. The rapid decrease in fasting glucose levels resulted from an inhibition of gluconeogenesis and an increase in glycolysis in the liver of db/db mice. Soy consumption also prevented the loss of pancreatic β-cell mass and thus improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (3-fold), which partly accounted for the overall improvements in glucose homeostasis. Comparison of SD effects on hyperglycemia with differing levels of isoflavones or with purified isoflavones indicate that the beneficial physiological effects of soy are not related to differences in their isoflavone content. Overall, these findings suggest that consumption of soy is beneficial for improving glucose homeostasis and delaying the progression of diabetes in the db/db mice but act independently of isoflavone concentration.

scholarly journals Maturation of pancreatic β-cell function in the fetal horse during late gestation

2005 ◽  
Vol 186 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
A L Fowden ◽  
D S Gardner ◽  
J C Ousey ◽  
D A Giussani ◽  
A J Forhead
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
Cell Response ◽  
Endocrine Pancreas ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Late Gestation ◽  
Pancreatic Β Cell ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Glucose Administration ◽  
Β Cell Function ◽  
Cortisol Levels

At birth, the endocrine pancreas becomes more directly involved in the control of glycaemia than in utero. However, compared with other tissues, relatively little is known about the maturational changes that occur in the fetal endocrine pancreas in preparation for extrauterine life. This study examined the pancreatic β-cell response to exogenous administration of glucose and arginine in fetal horses with respect to their gestational age and concentration of cortisol, the hormone responsible for prepartum maturation of other fetal tissues. Glucose administration had no effect on fetal insulin secretion between 175 and 230 days of gestation but evoked a rapid insulin response in fetuses closer to term (290–327 days). In late gestation, the β-cell response was more rapid and greater in magnitude in fetuses with basal cortisol levels higher than 15 ng/ml than in those with lower cortisol values at the time of glucose administration. The fetal β-cell response to arginine was unaffected by the rise in fetal plasma cortisol towards term. These findings show that there are maturational changes in pancreatic β-cell function in fetal horses as cortisol levels rise close to term. Primarily, these prepartum maturational changes were in the mechanisms of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, which would enable the β cells to regulate glycaemia at the higher glucose levels observed postnatally.

Exercise improves glucose homeostasis that has been impaired by a high-fat diet by potentiating pancreatic β-cell function and mass through IRS2 in diabetic rats

2007 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 1764-1771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunmin Park ◽  
Sang Mee Hong ◽  
Ji Eun Lee ◽  
So Ra Sung
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
High Fat Diet ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Diabetic Rats ◽  
Pancreatic Β Cell ◽  
High Fat ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Igf I ◽  
Β Cell Function

In this study, we investigated the effects of a high-fat diet and exercise on pancreatic β-cell function and mass and its molecular mechanism in 90% pancreatectomized male rats. The pancreatectomized diabetic rats were given control diets (20% energy) or a high-fat (HF) diet (45% energy) for 12 wk. Half of each group was given regular exercise on an uphill treadmill at 20 m/min for 30 min 5 days/wk. HF diet lowered first-phase insulin secretion with glucose loading, whereas exercise training reversed this decrease. However, second-phase insulin secretion did not differ among the groups. Exercise increased pancreatic β-cell mass. This resulted from stimulated β-cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis, which is associated with potentiated insulin or IGF-I signaling through insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS2) induction. Although the HF diet resulted in decreased proliferation and accelerated apoptosis by weakened insulin and IGF-I signaling from reduction of IRS2 protein, β-cell mass was maintained in HF rats just as much as in control rats via increased individual β-cell size and neogenesis from precursor cells. Consistent with the results of β-cell proliferation, pancreas duodenal homeobox-1 expression increased in the islets of rats in the exercise groups, and it was reduced the most in rats fed the HF diet. In conclusion, exercise combined with a moderate fat diet is a good way to maximize β-cell function and mass through IRS2 induction to alleviate the diabetic condition. This study suggests that dietary fat contents and exercise modulate β-cell function and mass to overcome insulin resistance in two different pathways.

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