Glucose-induced inhibition of insulin secretion.

Increase in glucose is known to elevate the concentration of cytoplasmic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+) ]i ) in pancreatic ß-cells and stimulate insulin secretion. However, rise of glucose can also lower [Ca(2+) ]i and inhibit insulin release. In the present review, we examine the mechanisms for this inhibition and highlight its importance for the healthy ß-cell and the development of diabetes. It is possible to distinguish between 60 and 90 s of prompt inhibition and the late inhibition seen after the first-phase peak of insulin release. The introductory inhibition is characteristic of the healthy ß-cell and mediated by sequestration of [Ca(2+) ]i in the endoplasmic reticulum. This inhibition is easily seen in studies of isolated islets but too brief to be detected in a conventional intravenous glucose tolerance test. Coupled to simultaneous rise of glucagon, the introductory suppression of insulin release is the starting point for the antiphase relation between the subsequent insulin and glucagon pulses. Another effect of the initial suppression is to increase the pool of readily releasable granules responsible for the first-phase release of insulin. The presence of late inhibition of insulin release is an indicator of ß-cell dysfunction. Patients with type 2 diabetes often respond to intravenous bolus injection of glucose with 5-10 min of late suppression of circulating insulin.

External ATP triggers Ca2+ signals suited for synchronization of pancreatic beta-cells.

External ATP is supposed to trigger short-lived increases (transients) of cytoplasmic Ca2+ important for entraining insulin-secreting beta-cells into a common rhythm. To get insight into this process, rises of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) induced by external ATP were compared with those obtained with acetylcholine, another neurotransmitter with stimulatory effects on the inositol trisphosphate (IP3) production. A ratiometric fura-2 technique was used for measuring [Ca2+]i in individual beta-cells and small aggregates isolated from ob/ob mouse islets and superfused with a medium containing methoxyverapamil. ATP and acetylcholine induced temporary rises of [Ca2+]I from a basal level manifested as solitary transients (<20 s) and bumps (> or =20 s) superimposed or not with transients. Addition of ATP (1-100 microM) usually triggered transients whereas acetylcholine induced bumps lacking superimposed transients. After the initial rise there was a steady-state elevation of [Ca2+]i in beta-cells exposed to acetylcholine but not to ATP. Similar differences were seen comparing the responses of rat beta-cells to 100 microM ATP and acetylcholine. Inhibition of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) pump (with 50 microM cyclopiazonic acid) prevented both the ATP-induced rise of [Ca2+]i and the spontaneous firing of transients. Similar effects were seen after activation of protein kinase C (10 nM phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate), whereas an inhibitor of this enzyme (2 microM bisindolylmaleimide) promoted the generation of transients. The results indicate that ATP fulfils the demands for a coordinator of the secretory activity of beta-cells by generating distinct [Ca2+]i transients without sustained elevation of basal [Ca2+]i.

Synchronization of pancreatic beta-cell rhythmicity after glucagon induction of Ca2+ transients.

Pancreatic beta-cells are biological oscillators requiring a coupling force for the synchronization of the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) oscillations responsible for pulsatile insulin release. Testing the idea that transients, superimposed on the oscillations, are important for this synchronization, the concentration of cytoplasmic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) was measured with ratiometric fura-2 technique in single beta-cells and small aggregates prepared from islets isolated from ob/ob-mice. Image analyses revealed asynchronous [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations in adjacent beta-cells lacking physical contact. The addition of glucagon stimulated the firing of [Ca(2+)](i) transients, which appeared in synchrony in adjacent beta-cells. Moreover, the presence of glucagon promoted synchronization of the [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations in beta-cells separated by a distance <100 microm but not in those >200 microm apart. The results support the proposal that the repolarizing effect of [Ca(2+)](i) transients provides a coupling force for co-ordinating the pulses of insulin release generated by pancreatic beta-cells.

Nitric oxide induces synchronous Ca2+ transients in pancreatic beta cells lacking contact.

AIMS: To evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the coordination of the Ca2+ signals generating pulsatile insulin release in pancreatic beta cells isolated from ob/ob mice. METHODOLOGY: Using ratiometric fura-2 technique for recording glucose-induced cytoplasmic Ca2+ transients, it was possible to demonstrate a synchronization of beta cells lacking contact. RESULTS: The frequency of the transients increased 10-fold in the presence of 20 n M glucagon. Additional increase in frequency with maintenance of synchronization was observed when the beta cells were exposed to 100 microM of the NO donors sodium nitroprusside and hydroxylamine. Bolus additions of 0.1-10 microM gaseous NO resulted in prompt appearance of cytoplasmic Ca2+ transients. An activator of soluble guanylate cyclase (mesoporphyrin) increased the frequency of the transients, and inhibition of this enzyme with 1H-(1,2,4) oxadiazolo [4,3-a] quinoxalin-1-one had the opposite effect. CONCLUSION: The results support the idea that nitrergic nerves generate beta-cell transients of Ca2+ synchronizing the activity of the numerous islets in the pancreas.

Pancreatic beta-cells from obese-hyperglycemic mice are characterized by excessive firing of cytoplasmic Ca2+ transients.

Pancreatic beta-cells from obese-hyperglycemic (ob/ob) mice are widely used for studying the mechanisms of insulin release, including its regulation by the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). In this study, we compared changes of [Ca2+]i in single beta-cells isolated from ob/ob mice with those from lean mice using dual-wavelength microfluorometry and the indicator fura-2. There were no differences in the frequency, amplitude, and half-width of the slow oscillations induced by glucose. Most beta-cells from the obese mice responded to 10 mM caffeine with transformation of the oscillations into sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i, a process counteracted by ryanodine. The beta-cells from the obese mice were characterized by ample generation of [Ca2+]i transients, which increased in number in the presence of glucagon. The transients became less frequent when leptin was added at a concentration as low as 1 nM. It is suggested that the excessive firing of [Ca2+]i transients in the ob/ob mice is owing to the absence of leptin and is mediated by activation of the phospholipase C signaling pathway.

Microfluorometric analysis of Cl- permeability and its relation to oscillatory Ca2+ signalling in glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta-cells.

The cytoplasmic concentrations of Cl-([Cl-]i) and Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) were measured with the fluorescent indicators N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinilinum bromide (MQAE) and fura-2 in pancreatic beta-cells isolated from ob/ob mice. Steady-state [Cl-]i in unstimulated beta-cells was 34 mM, which is higher than expected from a passive distribution. Increase of the glucose concentration from 3 to 20 mM resulted in an accelerated entry of Cl- into beta-cells depleted of this ion. The exposure to 20 mM glucose did not affect steady-state [Cl-]i either in the absence or presence of furosemide inhibition of Na+, K+, 2 Cl- co-transport. Glucose-induced oscillations of [Ca2+]i were transformed into sustained elevation in the presence of 4,4' diisothiocyanato-dihydrostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (H2DIDS). A similar effect was noted when replacing 25% of extracellular Cl- with the more easily permeating anions SCN-, I-, NO3- or Br-. It is concluded that glucose stimulation of the beta-cells is coupled to an increase in their Cl- permeability and that the oscillatory Ca2+ signalling is critically dependent on transmembrane Cl- fluxes.

Glucose and tolbutamide trigger transients of Ca2+ in single pancreatic beta-cells exposed to tetraethylammonium.

Isolated pancreatic beta-cells respond to glucose stimulation with increase of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in terms of membrane-derived slow oscillations (0.2-0.5/min) with superimposed transient of intracellular origin. To evaluate under which conditions transients may result also from entry of extracellular Ca2+, the cytoplasmic concentration of the ion was measured with dual wavelength fluorometry and fura-2 in individual mouse beta-cells exposed to the K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA). In the presence of 20 mM TEA, the beta-cells responded to closure of the KATP channels (increase of the glucose concentration to 11 mM or addition of 1 mM tolbutamide) with pronounced transients of [Ca2+]i. However, there were no transients when the beta-cells were depolarized by raising extracellular K+ to 30 mM in the presence of 20 mM TEA. The glucose-induced [Ca2+]i transients became more pronounced after thapsigargin inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase. The tolbutamide-induced transients were amplified when promoting the entry of Ca2+ (rise of extracellular Ca2+ to 10 mM or addition of BAY K 8644), unaffected in the presence of thapsigargin and the Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin and slightly reduced by glucagon. Blockage of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels with methoxyverapamil resulted in a prompt disappearance of the transients induced by glucose or tolbutamide. The observations indicate that closure of the KATP channels can precipitate pronounced transients of [Ca2+]i when other K+ conductances are suppressed.

Role of voltage-dependent Na+ channels for rhythmic Ca2+ signalling in glucose-stimulated mouse pancreatic beta-cells.

The putative role of voltage-dependent Na+ channels for glucose induction of rhythmic Ca2+ signalling was studied in mouse pancreatic beta-cells with the use of the Ca2+ indicator fura-2. A rise in glucose from 3 to 11 mM resulted in slow oscillations of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). These oscillations, as well as superimposed transients seen during forskolin-induced elevation of cAMP, remained unaffected in the presence of the Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin. During exposure to 1-10 microM veratridine, which facilitates the opening of voltage-dependent Na+ channels, the slow oscillations were replaced by repetitive and pronounced [Ca2+]i transients arising from the basal level. The effects of veratridine were reversed by tetrodotoxin. The veratridine-induced [Ca2+]i transients were critically dependent on the influx of Ca2+ and persisted after thapsigargin inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. Both tolbutamide and ketoisocaproate mimicked the action of glucose in promoting [Ca2+]i transients in the presence of veratridine. It is suggested that activation of voltage-dependent Na+ channels is a useful approach for amplifying Ca2+ signals for insulin release.

Voltage-dependent entry and generation of slow Ca2+ oscillations in glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta-cells.

The role of voltage-dependent Ca2+ entry for glucose generation of slow oscillations of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was evaluated in individual mouse pancreatic beta-cells. Like depolarization with K+, a rise of the glucose concentration resulted in an enhanced influx of Mn2+, which was inhibited by nifedipine. This antagonist of L-type Ca2+ channels also blocked the slow oscillations of [Ca2+]i induced by glucose. The slow oscillations occurred in synchrony with variations in Mn2+ influx and bursts of action currents, with the elevation of [Ca2+]i being proportional to the frequency of the action currents. A similar relationship was obtained when Ca2+ was replaced with Sr2+. Occasionally, the slow [Ca2+]i oscillations were superimposed with pronounced spikes temporarily arresting the action currents. It is concluded that the glucose-induced slow oscillations of [Ca2+]i are caused by periodic depolarization with Ca2+ influx through L-type channels. Ca2+ spiking, due to intracellular mobilization, may be important for chopping the slow oscillations of [Ca2+]i into shorter ones characterizing beta-cells situated in pancreatic islets.

Amino acid transformation of oscillatory Ca2+ signals in mouse pancreatic beta-cells.

Glucose-induced increase of cytoplasmic Ca2+ in pancreatic beta-cells is usually manifested as slow oscillations from the basal level. The significance of this rhythmicity for maintaining normal beta-cell function with periodic variations of circulating insulin made it of interest to investigate how the oscillatory Ca2+ signal was affected by various amino acids. Individual mouse beta-cells were very sensitive to alanine, glycine and arginine, sometimes responding with a transformation of the oscillations into sustained elevation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ at amino acid concentrations as low as 0.1 mM. Stimulation of the entry of Ca2+, obtained either by raising the extracellular concentration or by prolonging the open state of the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels with BAY K 8644, resulted in reappearance of the rhythmic activity in the presence of the amino acids. Oscillatory Ca2+ signals in intact islets were more resistant to transformation by amino acids than those of individual beta-cells. It is therefore suggested that signals from the adjacent cells make it possible for beta-cells situated in islets to overcome a suppression of the oscillatory activity otherwise seen in the presence of alanine, glycine or arginine.

Synchronization of glucose-induced Ca2+ transients in pancreatic beta-cells by a diffusible factor.

Glucose is known to induce transients of cytoplasmic Ca2+ by mobilizing intracellular stores when pancreatic beta-cells are exposed to glucagon. Dual wavelength microfluorometry with fura-2 was used to study such transients in individual beta-cells isolated from ob/ob-mice. The Ca2+ transients were often synchronized in beta-cells situated up to 80 microm apart. The messenger might be nitric oxide, as indicated from a decreased number of synchronized transients in the presence of 500 micromol/l oxyhemoglobin or 10 mmol/l Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. The discovery that Ca2+ transients are synchronized in the absence of cell contact indicates the involvement of a diffusible factor in coordinating the activity of the insulin-releasing beta-cells.

Glucagon amplifies tetrodotoxin-resistant Na+ oscillations in glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta-cells.

The cytoplasmic concentration of Na+ ([Na+]i) was measured in individual mouse beta-cells with dual-wavelength microfluorometry using the indicator SBFI. The addition of 10 nM glucagon to a medium containing 11 mM glucose and 1.3 mM Ca2+ resulted in a 24% increase of [Na+]i often associated with superimposed oscillations. When replacing Ca2+ with 5 mM Sr2+, the presence of glucagon resulted in an increase of the amplitude of the [Na+]i oscillations with decrease of their frequency. Similar effects as with glucagon were obtained with 1 mM 8-Br-cAMP or 5 microM of the Ca2+ channel agonist BAY K8644. The glucose-induced oscillations of [Na+]i were resistant to 3 microM tetrodotoxin and disappeared after addition of 100 nM clonidine, 10 microM methoxyverapamil or 400 microM diazoxide. Studies of cell aggregates revealed the existence of well synchronized [Na+]i oscillations similar to those in individual beta-cells. The results provide evidence for tetrodotoxin-resistant [Na+]i rhythmicity in glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta-cells subject to regulation with cAMP.

Unmasking of a periodic Na+ entry into glucose-stimulated pancreatic beta-cells after partial inhibition of the Na/K pump.

The cytoplasmic concentration of Na+ ([Na+]i) was measured in individual mouse beta-cells using dual wavelength microfluorometry and the indicator sodium-binding benzofuran isophtalate. Under conditions known to induce large amplitude oscillations in cytoplasmic Ca2+ (1.3 mM Ca2+; 11 mM glucose), [Na+]i remained low and stable at 10-14 mM. Partial suppression of the Na/K pump with 50 microM ouabain resulted in oscillations of [Na+]i in 65% of the cells (frequency, 0.13+/-O.O1 min(-l); amplitude, 4.4 +/-0.3 mM). The oscillations were unaffected by the presence of 3 microM tetrodotoxin, but disappeared when the medium was depleted of Ca2+ or supplemented with 10 microM methoxyverapamil. The analysis of the ouabain effect was facilitated by replacing extracellular Ca2+ with 5 mM Sr2+. In the Sr2+-containing medium, oscillations of [Na+]i were seen in more than 70% of the beta-cells exposed to 11 mM glucose. Ouabain (50 microM) modified the [Na+]i oscillations by increasing their amplitudes almost 3-fold and reducing the frequency from once every 3 min to once every 10 min. A relationship between oscillations of cytoplasmic Sr2+ and Na+ was apparent both from observations of similar frequencies and for the modifications obtained with ouabain. It is concluded that the glucose-induced oscillations of cytoplasmic Ca2+ result in a rhythmic entry of Na+, usually balanced by the Na/K pump. A resulting periodic consumption of ATP in the Na/K pump might have implications for the release of insulin by affecting ATP-dependent processes associated with the plasma membrane.

Origin of slow and fast oscillations of Ca2+ in mouse pancreatic islets.

1. Pancreatic islets exposed to 11 mM glucose exhibited complex variations of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) with slow (0.3-0.9 min-1) or fast (2-7 min-1) oscillations or with a mixed pattern. 2. Using digital imaging and confocal microscopy we demonstrated that the mixed pattern with slow and superimposed fast oscillations was due to separate cell populations with the respective responses. 3. In islets with mixed [Ca2+]i oscillations, exposure to the sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase inhibitors thapsigargin or 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone (DTBHQ) resulted in a selective disappearance of the fast pattern and amplification of the slow pattern. 4. In addition, the protein kinase A inhibitor RP-cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioate sodium salt transformed the mixed [Ca2+]i oscillations into slow oscillations with larger amplitude. 5. Islets exhibiting only slow oscillations reacted to low concentrations of glucagon with induction of the fast or the mixed pattern. In this case the fast oscillations were also counteracted by DTBHQ. 6. The spontaneously occurring fast oscillations seemed to require the presence of cAMP-elevating glucagon, since they were more common in large islets and suppressed during culture. 7. Image analysis revealed [Ca2+]i spikes occurring irregularly in time and space within an islet. These spikes were preferentially observed together with fast [Ca2+]i oscillations, and they became more common after exposure to glucagon. 8. Both the slow and fast oscillations of [Ca2+]i in pancreatic islets rely on periodic entry of Ca2+. However, the fast oscillations also depend in some way on paracrine factors promoting mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. It is proposed that such a mobilization in different cells within a tightly coupled islet syncytium generates spikes which co-ordinate the regular bursts of action potentials underlying the fast oscillations.

Generation of glucose-dependent slow oscillations of cytoplasmic Ca2+ in individual pancreatic beta cells.

Individual pancreatic beta cells respond to glucose stimulation with large amplitude (300-500 nM) oscillations in the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). These oscillations (frequency 0.05-0.5/min) depend on rhythmical depolarization of the plasma membrane, with influx of Ca2+ through voltage-operated channels, but do not require intracellular mobilization of Ca2+. Patch clamp analyses of the activity of ATP-sensitive K+ channels indicate that oscillations in beta-cell metabolism underlie the rhythmical depolarizations, causing the large amplitude oscillations of [Ca2+]. The oscillatory responses of adjacent beta cells are synchronized by gap-junctional coupling in cellular microdomains. With increasing glucose concentration, previously unresponsive domains are activated, and their oscillations entrained with those of other active domains. In pancreatic islets, glucose-induced large amplitude oscillations occur in parallel with insulin release pulses, the amplitudes of which are determined by the number of beta cells recruited into the secretory state.

Oscillatory signaling and insulin release in human pancreatic beta-cells exposed to strontium.

Oscillatory signaling and insulin release were studied in isolated pancreatic islets and beta-cells obtained from human cadaveric organ donors. Taking advantage of Sr2+ as an analog for Ca2+, it was possible to demonstrate glucose-induced rhythmic activity in individual beta-cells identified by immunostaining. Glucose-induced slow oscillations of Sr2+ (frequency, 0.1-1.0/min) were sometimes seen at a sugar concentration as low as 3 mM. Addition of 20 nM glucagon resulted in a broadening of the oscillations or in their transformation into sustained elevation. Moreover, the presence of glucagon resulted in the appearance of short transients of Sr2+, which disappeared after exposure to the intracellular Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase inhibitor thapsigargin. Digital image analyses indicated that slow oscillations can be synchronized among cells in small aggregates and intact islets. The rhythmic activity in the glucose-stimulated beta-cell had its counterpart in pulsatile insulin release when single islets were perifused with a Sr2+-containing medium. It is concluded that the human beta-cell has oscillatory signaling for insulin release similar to that observed in experimental animals.

Induction of a glucose-dependent insulin secretory response by the nonmetabolizable amino acid alpha-aminoisobutyric acid.

The effects of the nonmetabolizable amino acid alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) on insulin release were evaluated using beta cell-rich pancreatic islets from ob/ob mice. Both AIB and L-alanine promptly induced transient insulin release during column perifusion of islet cells. The secretory response was dependent on an elevated level of glucose and effectively suppressed by removal of Na+. The insulin release elicited by AIB fulfilled the criteria of a physiological event in being suppressed by clonidine or lowering of the temperature to 22 degrees C. AIB effectively promoted the increase in sodium (total as well as ionized cytoplasmic) obtained with ouabain blockage of the Na/K pump. When added to a medium containing 11 mM glucose, AIB altered cytoplasmic Ca2+ in terms of both an initial transitory rise and transformation of existing oscillations into a sustained elevation. It is concluded that amino acids can stimulate insulin release from mature beta cells by virtue of being cotransported with Na+.

Crosstalk between the cAMP and inositol trisphosphate-signalling pathways in pancreatic beta-cells.

Glucose was found to induce large amplitude oscillations of cytoplasmic Sr2+ and Ca2+ in individual pancreatic beta-cells exposed to the respective cation. Subsequent addition of 20 nM glucagon or other agents raising cAMP triggered pronounced transients superimposed upon the large amplitude oscillations. Hyperpolarization with diazoxide prevented both the large amplitude oscillations and the superimposed transients. After short exposure to carbachol or ATP there was a temporary, and after addition of the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin a permanent, disappearance of the transients with persistence of the glucose-induced large amplitude oscillations. The Ca2+ channel blocker methoxyverapamil exhibited opposite specificity in preventing the large amplitude oscillations under conditions when the transients often remained. In the presence of methoxyverapamil the transients disappeared during diazoxide hyperpolarization and were restored by subsequent K+ depolarization, which also elevated the content of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) by 45%. The glucagon-induced transients were obliterated by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, insensitive to ryanodine and paradoxically inhibited by high concentrations of caffeine. The IP3-mediated intracellular ion mobilization induced by carbachol was amplified by glucagon. The results indicate that depolarization-dependent formation of IP3 causes intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in individual beta-cells when the IP3 receptors are sensitized by cAMP. This mechanism may be an important determinant for the electrophysiological burst activity in intact pancreatic islets due to the presence of endogenous glucagon.

Glucose induces cytoplasmic Na+ oscillations in pancreatic beta-cells.

The cytoplasmic Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) was measured in individual mouse beta-cells and islet cell aggregates using the indicator SBFI. Small oscillations of [Na+]i were occasionally observed after raising glucose from 3 to 11 mM. Distinct oscillations with a frequency of 0.29 +/- 0.02 min-1 (n = 18) and amplitudes of 7.4 +/- 0.5 mM (n = 18) were obtained when also adding the Na+ channel agonist veratridine. The oscillations were counteracted by tetrodotoxin or by lowering the glucose concentration to 3 mM. Glucose failed to induce oscillations when increasing Na+ entry by co-transport with L-glycine or raising [Na+]i by blocking the Na/K pump with ouabain. The results indicate that glucose can induce oscillations of [Na+]i in pancreatic beta-cells, although this effect is usually less obvious due to activation of an efficient Na/K pump.