Allosteric modulation of ß-cell M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors greatly improves glucose homeostasis in lean and obese mice.

Given the global epidemic in type 2 diabetes, novel antidiabetic drugs with increased efficacy and reduced side effects are urgently needed. Previous work has shown that M3 muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors (M3Rs) expressed by pancreatic ß cells play key roles in stimulating insulin secretion and maintaining physiological blood glucose levels. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of M3R function can improve glucose homeostasis in mice by promoting insulin release. One major advantage of this approach is that allosteric agents respect the ACh-dependent spatiotemporal control of M3R activity. In this study, we first demonstrated that VU0119498, a drug known to act as a PAM at M3Rs, significantly augmented ACh-induced insulin release from cultured ß cells and mouse and human pancreatic islets. This stimulatory effect was absent in islets prepared from mice lacking M3Rs, indicative of the involvement of M3Rs. VU0119498 treatment of wild-type mice caused a significant increase in plasma insulin levels, accompanied by a striking improvement in glucose tolerance. These effects were mediated by ß-cell M3Rs, since they were absent in mutant mice selectively lacking M3Rs in ß cells. Moreover, acute VU0119498 treatment of obese, glucose-intolerant mice triggered enhanced insulin release and restored normal glucose tolerance. Interestingly, doses of VU0119498 that led to pronounced improvements in glucose homeostasis did not cause any significant side effects due to activation of M3Rs expressed by other peripheral cell types. Taken together, the data from this proof-of-concept study strongly suggest that M3R PAMs may become clinically useful as novel antidiabetic agents.

Central melanopsin projections in the diurnal rodent, Arvicanthis niloticus.

The direct effects of photic stimuli on behavior are very different in diurnal and nocturnal species, as light stimulates an increase in activity in the former and a decrease in the latter. Studies of nocturnal mice have implicated a select population of retinal ganglion cells that are intrinsically photosensitive (ipRGCs) in mediation of these acute responses to light. ipRGCs are photosensitive due to the expression of the photopigment melanopsin; these cells use glutamate and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) as neurotransmitters. PACAP is useful for the study of central ipRGC projections because, in the retina, it is found exclusively within melanopsin cells. Little is known about the central projections of ipRGCs in diurnal species. Here, we first characterized these cells in the retina of the diurnal Nile grass rat using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The same basic subtypes of melanopsin cells that have been described in other mammals were present, but nearly 25% of them were displaced, primarily in its superior region. PACAP was present in 87.7% of all melanopsin cells, while 97.4% of PACAP cells contained melanopsin. We then investigated central projections of ipRGCs by examining the distribution of immunoreactive PACAP fibers in intact and enucleated animals. This revealed evidence that these cells project to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), pretectum, and superior colliculus. This distribution was confirmed with injections of cholera toxin subunit ß coupled with Alexa Fluor 488 in one eye and Alexa Fluor 594 in the other, combined with IHC staining of PACAP. These studies also revealed that the ventral and dorsal LGN and the caudal olivary pretectal nucleus receive less innervation from ipRGCs than that reported in nocturnal rodents. Overall, these data suggest that although ipRGCs and their projections are very similar in diurnal and nocturnal rodents, they may not be identical.