RhoA as a Signaling Hub Controlling Glucagon Secretion From Pancreatic α-Cells.

Glucagon hypersecretion from pancreatic islet α-cells exacerbates hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes. Still, the underlying mechanistic pathways that regulate glucagon secretion remain controversial. Among the three complementary main mechanisms (intrinsic, paracrine, and juxtacrine) proposed to regulate glucagon release from α-cells, juxtacrine interactions are the least studied. It is known that tonic stimulation of α-cell EphA receptors by ephrin-A ligands (EphA forward signaling) inhibits glucagon secretion in mouse and human islets and restores glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion in sorted mouse α-cells, and these effects correlate with increased F-actin density. Here, we elucidate the downstream target of EphA signaling in α-cells. We demonstrate that RhoA, a Rho family GTPase, plays a key role in this pathway. Pharmacological inhibition of RhoA disrupts glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion in islets and decreases cortical F-actin density in dispersed α-cells and α-cells in intact islets. Quantitative FRET biosensor imaging shows that increased RhoA activity follows directly from EphA stimulation. We show that in addition to modulating F-actin density, EphA forward signaling and RhoA activity affect α-cell Ca2+ activity in a novel mechanistic pathway. Finally, we show that stimulating EphA forward signaling restores glucose inhibition of glucagon secretion from human T1D donor islets.

Neuropeptide Y and somatostatin inhibit insulin secretion through different mechanisms.

Pancreatic ß-cells regulate glucose homeostasis by secreting insulin in response to glucose elevation and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activation. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and somatostatin (SST) attenuate insulin secretion through G(i) activation of Y(1) and SSTR(1&5) receptors, respectively. The downstream pathways altered by NPY and SST are poorly understood. Thus, we investigated these underlying mechanisms. NPY and SST increase cellular redox potential, suggesting that their inhibitory effect may not be mediated through metabolic inhibition. NPY does not affect intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) activity upon glucose stimulation, whereas SST alters this response. G(ßγ)-subunit inhibition by gallein attenuates insulin secretion but does not alter metabolism or [Ca(2+)](i). mSIRK-induced G(ßγ) activation does not modulate glucose metabolism but increases [Ca(2+)](i) activity and potentiates insulin release. Cotreatment with gallein and NPY or SST reduces insulin secretion to levels similar to that of gallein alone. mSIRK and NPY cotreatment potentiates insulin secretion similarly to mSIRK alone, whereas mSIRK and SST treatment decreases insulin release. The data support a model where SST attenuates secretion through G(ßγ) inhibition of Ca(2+) activity, while NPY activates a Ca(2+)-independent pathway mediated by G(α). GPCR ligands signal through multiple pathways to inhibit insulin secretion, and determining these mechanisms could lead to novel diabetic therapies.