scholarly journals In vitro Characterization of Insulin−Producing β-Cell Spheroids

Author(s):  
Yonela Ntamo ◽  
Ebrahim Samodien ◽  
Joleen Burger ◽  
Nolan Muller ◽  
Christo J. F. Muller ◽  
...  

Over the years, immortalized rodent β-cell lines such as RIN, HIT, MIN, βTC, and INS-1 have been used to investigate pancreatic β-cell physiology using conventional two-dimensional (2D) culture techniques. However, physical and physiological limitations inherent to 2D cell culture necessitates confirmatory follow up studies using sentient animals. Three-dimensional (3D) culture models are gaining popularity for their recapitulation of key features of in vivo organ physiology, and thus could pose as potential surrogates for animal experiments. In this study, we aimed to develop and characterize a rat insulinoma INS-1 3D spheroid model to compare with 2D monolayers of the same cell line. Ultrastructural verification was done by transmission electron microscopy and toluidine blue staining, which showed that both 2D monolayers and 3D spheroids contained highly granulated cells with ultrastructural features synonymous with mature pancreatic β-cells, with increased prominence of these features observed in 3D spheroids. Viability, as assessed by cellular ATP quantification, size profiling and glucose utilization, showed that our spheroids remained viable for the experimental period of 30 days, compared to the limiting 5-day passage period of INS-1 monolayers. In fact, increasing ATP content together with spheroid size was observed over time, without adverse changes in glucose utilization. Additionally, β-cell function, assessed by determining insulin and amylin secretion, showed that the 3D spheroids retained glucose sensing and insulin secretory capability, that was more acute when compared to 2D monolayer cultures. Thus, we were able to successfully demonstrate that our in vitro INS-1 β-cell 3D spheroid model exhibits in vivo tissue-like structural features with extended viability and lifespan. This offers enhanced predictive capacity of the model in the study of metabolic disease, β-cell pathophysiology and the potential treatment thereof.

Endocrinology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (12) ◽  
pp. 2825-2836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Hoang ◽  
Sabina Paglialunga ◽  
Eric Bombardier ◽  
A Russell Tupling ◽  
Jamie W Joseph

Abstract The transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT)/hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1β (ARNT/HIF1β) plays a key role in maintaining β-cell function and has been shown to be one of the most downregulated transcription factors in islets from patients with type 2 diabetes. We have shown a role for ARNT/HIF1β in glucose sensing and insulin secretion in vitro and no defects in in vivo glucose homeostasis. To gain a better understanding of the role of ARNT/HIF1β in the development of diabetes, we placed control (+/+/Cre) and β-cell–specific ARNT/HIF1β knockout (fl/fl/Cre) mice on a high-fat diet (HFD). Unlike the control (+/+/Cre) mice, HFD-fed fl/fl/Cre mice had no impairment in in vivo glucose tolerance. The lack of impairment in HFD-fed fl/fl/Cre mice was partly due to an improved islet glucose-stimulated NADPH/NADP+ ratio and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The effects of the HFD-rescued insulin secretion in fl/fl/Cre islets could be reproduced by treating low-fat diet (LFD)–fed fl/fl/Cre islets with the lipid signaling molecule 1-monoacylglcyerol. This suggests that the defects seen in LFD-fed fl/fl/Cre islet insulin secretion involve lipid signaling molecules. Overall, mice lacking ARNT/HIF1β in β-cells have altered lipid signaling in vivo and are resistant to an HFD’s ability to induce diabetes.


Author(s):  
Alix Garcia ◽  
Sylvie Dunoyer-Geindre ◽  
Richard J. Fish ◽  
Marguerite Neerman-Arbez ◽  
Jean-Luc Reny ◽  
...  

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs modulating protein production. They are key players in regulation of cell function and are considered as biomarkers in several diseases. The identification of the proteins they regulate, and their impact on cell physiology, may delineate their role as diagnostic or prognostic markers and identify new therapeutic strategies. During the last 3 decades, development of a large panel of techniques has given rise to multiple models dedicated to the study of miRNAs. Since plasma samples are easily accessible, circulating miRNAs can be studied in clinical trials. To quantify miRNAs in numerous plasma samples, the choice of extraction and purification techniques, as well as normalization procedures, are important for comparisons of miRNA levels in populations and over time. Recent advances in bioinformatics provide tools to identify putative miRNAs targets that can then be validated with dedicated assays. In vitro and in vivo approaches aim to functionally validate candidate miRNAs from correlations and to understand their impact on cellular processes. This review describes the advantages and pitfalls of the available techniques for translational research to study miRNAs with a focus on their role in regulating platelet reactivity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akansha Mishra ◽  
Siming Liu ◽  
Joseph Promes ◽  
Mikako Harata ◽  
William Sivitz ◽  
...  

Perilipin 2 (PLIN2) is the lipid droplet (LD) protein in β cells that increases under nutritional stress. Down-regulation of PLIN2 is often sufficient to reduce LD accumulation. To determine whether PLIN2 positively or negatively affects β cell function under nutritional stress, PLIN2 was down-regulated in mouse β cells, INS1 cells, and human islet cells. β cell specific deletion of PLIN2 in mice on a high fat diet reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in vivo and in vitro. Down-regulation of PLIN2 in INS1 cells blunted GSIS after 24 h incubation with 0.2 mM palmitic acids. Down-regulation of PLIN2 in human pseudoislets cultured at 5.6 mM glucose impaired both phases of GSIS, indicating that PLIN2 is critical for GSIS. Down-regulation of PLIN2 decreased specific OXPHOS proteins in all three models and reduced oxygen consumption rates in INS1 cells and mouse islets. Moreover, we found that PLIN2 deficient INS1 cells increased the distribution of a fluorescent oleic acid analog to mitochondria and showed signs of mitochondrial stress as indicated by susceptibility to fragmentation and alterations of acyl-carnitines and glucose metabolites. Collectively, PLIN2 in β cells have an important role in preserving insulin secretion, β cell metabolism and mitochondrial function under nutritional stress.


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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13330
Author(s):  
Stephanie Bridgeman ◽  
Gaewyn Ellison ◽  
Philip Newsholme ◽  
Cyril Mamotte

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors such as butyrate have been reported to reduce diabetes risk and protect insulin-secreting pancreatic β cells in animal models. However, studies on insulin-secreting cells in vitro have found that butyrate treatment resulted in impaired or inappropriate insulin secretion. Our study explores the effects of butyrate on insulin secretion by BRIN BD-11 rat pancreatic β cells and examined effects on the expression of genes implicated in β cell function. Robust HDAC inhibition with 5 mM butyrate or trichostatin A for 24 h in β cells decreased basal insulin secretion and content, as well as insulin secretion in response to acute stimulation. Treatment with butyrate also increased expression of the disallowed gene hexokinase I, possibly explaining the impairment to insulin secretion, and of TXNIP, which may increase oxidative stress and β cell apoptosis. In contrast to robust HDAC inhibition (>70% after 24 h), low-dose and acute high-dose treatment with butyrate enhanced nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion. In conclusion, although protective effects of HDAC inhibition have been observed in vivo, potent HDAC inhibition impairs β cell function in vitro. The chronic low dose and acute high dose butyrate treatments may be more reflective of in vivo effects.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Zhao ◽  
Weijian Zong ◽  
Yi Wu ◽  
Jiayu Shen ◽  
Dongzhou Gou ◽  
...  

AbstractThe insulin-secreting cells generated from stem cells in vitro are less glucose responsive than primary β-cells. To search for the missing ingredients that are needed for β-cell maturation, we have longitudinally monitored function of every β-cell in Tg (ins:Rcamp1.07) zebrafish embryos with a newly-invented two-photon light-sheet microscope. We have shown that β-cell maturation begins from the islet mantle and propagates to the islet core during the hatching period, coordinated by the islet vascularization. Lower concentration of glucose is optimal to initiate β-cell maturation, while increased glucose delivery to every cell through microcirculation is required for functional boosting of the β-cells. Both the initiation and the boosting of β-cell maturation demands activation of calcineurin/NFAT by glucose. Calcineurin activator combined with glucose promotes mouse neonatal β-cells cultured in vitro to mature to a functional state similar to adult β-cells, suggesting a new strategy for improving stem cell-derived β-like cell function in vitro.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 969-978
Author(s):  
Huma Aslam Bhatti ◽  
Kiran Maryam ◽  
Rizwana S. Waraich ◽  
Abdul Hameed ◽  
Rahman M. Hafizur

Endocrinology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 157 (12) ◽  
pp. 4677-4690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika Sahr ◽  
Carmen Wolke ◽  
Jonas Maczewsky ◽  
Peter Krippeit-Drews ◽  
Anja Tetzner ◽  
...  

Endocrinology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 156 (10) ◽  
pp. 3570-3580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Nomoto ◽  
Takuma Kondo ◽  
Hideaki Miyoshi ◽  
Akinobu Nakamura ◽  
Yoko Hida ◽  
...  

The large-Maf transcription factor v-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog A (MafA) has been found to be crucial for insulin transcription and synthesis and for pancreatic β-cell function and maturation. However, insights about the effects of small Maf factors on β-cells are limited. Our goal was to elucidate the function of small-Maf factors on β-cells using an animal model of endogenous small-Maf dysfunction. Transgenic (Tg) mice with β-cell-specific expression of dominant-negative MafK (DN-MafK) experiments, which can suppress the function of all endogenous small-Mafs, were fed a high-fat diet, and their in vivo phenotypes were evaluated. Phenotypic analysis, glucose tolerance tests, morphologic examination of β-cells, and islet experiments were performed. DN-MafK-expressed MIN6 cells were also used for in vitro analysis. The results showed that DN-MafK expression inhibited endogenous small-Maf binding to insulin promoter while increasing MafA binding. DN-MafK Tg mice under high-fat diet conditions showed improved glucose metabolism compared with control mice via incremental insulin secretion, without causing changes in insulin sensitivity or MafA expression. Moreover, up-regulation of insulin and glucokinase gene expression was observed both in vivo and in vitro under DN-MafK expression. We concluded that endogenous small-Maf factors negatively regulates β-cell function by competing for MafA binding, and thus, the inhibition of small-Maf activity can improve β-cell function.


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