In vitro and in vivo synthesis of long-chain fatty acids from (1-14C) acetate in the renal papillae of rats.

1. The relationship between the rate of [1-14C] acetate incorporation into the fatty acids of renal papillary lipids and the acetate concentration in the medium has been measured. 2. [1-14C] acetate was incorporated mainly into fatty acids of phospholipids and triacylglycerols. Only a few per cent of the radioactivity was found in the free fatty acid fraction. 3. The major part of the [1-14C] acetate was found to be incorporated by a chain elongation of prevalent fatty acids. The major component of the poly-unsaturated fatty acids in triacylglycerols and the major product of fatty acid synthesis from [1-14C] acetate in vitro was demonstrated by mass spectrometry to be docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraenoic acid. 4. The radioactivity of docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraenoic acid accounted for 40% of total radioactivity in triacylglycerol fatty acids (lipid droplet fraction) and 20% of total radioactivity in membrane phospholipid fatty acids.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in mouse pancreatic islets. ATP-induced changes in sensitivity to Mn2+ activation.

The presence of high phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (EC 4.1.1.32) activity in mouse islet cytosol has been demonstrated. The enzyme was activated by Mn2+ with a Ka of 100 X 10(-6) mol/l. The mean total activity of the Mn2+-stimulated phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in islet cytosol estimated at 22 degrees C with saturating concentrations of the substrates oxaloacetate and ITP was 146 pmol/min per micrograms DNA. Km was calculated to be 6 X 10(-6) mol/l for oxaloacetate and 140 X 10(-6) mol/l for ITP. The islet phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity was not increased after starvation of the animals for 48 h. Preincubation of the cytosol at 4 degrees C with Fe2+, quinolinate, ATP, Pi, glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, NAD+, NADH, oxaloacetate, ITP, cyclic AMP and Ca2+ had no effect on the enzyme activity. However, preincubation of the cytosol at 37 degrees C with ATP-Mg inhibited the Mn2+-stimulated phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity progressively with time and in a concentration-dependent manner. A similar but weaker inhibitory effect was observed with p[NH]ppA, whereas p[CH2]ppA, ADP, AMP, adenosine and Pi had no effect. It is tentatively suggested that ATP and p[NH]ppA either by adenylation or otherwise affect the interaction between islet phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and the recently discovered Mr = 29000 protein modulator of the enzyme in such a way - perhaps by causing a dissociation between them - that phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase loses its sensitivity to Mn2+ activation.

The effect of calcium on somatostatin inhibition of insulin release and cyclic AMP production in mouse pancreatic islets.

The effect of somatostatin on glucose-induced insulin secretion and cyclic AMP accumulation in isolated islets from obese, hyperglycemic ob/ob mice was studied in a microperifusion system. The normal biphasic pattern of insulin release as well as the inhibitory pattern of insulin release produced by somatostatin (0.5--1 microgram/ml) was matched by similar changes in the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP. When islets were stimulated by glucose (3 mg/ml) plus 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (0.1 mM), somatostatin (0.5 microgram/ml) failed to inhibit insulin secretion or cyclic AMP formation in the second phase whereas in the first phase both parameters were significantly reduced by somatostatin (0.5 microgram/ml). In batch-type incubations it was shown that addition of excess calcium (to 6 mM) reversed this inhibition. In the second phase calcium potentiated the (glucose + 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine)-stimulated insulin secretion without affecting the cyclic AMP production. This potentiation was inhibited by somatostatin (0.1 microgram/ml). Somatostatin (1 microgram/ml) inhibited adenylate cyclase activity in islet homogenates. No effect of somatostatin on islet glucose utilization could be demonstrated. The results indicate a dual action of somatostatin in the inhibition of insulin release, one involving the islet adenylate cyclase and one affecting the islet uptake of calcium.

Presence of ATP-pyrophosphohydrolase in mouse pancreatic islets.

The presence of an enzyme that hydrolyzes ATP to AMP and PPi was demonstrated in a 27,000 X g particulate and supernatant fraction of mouse pancreatic islets. The enzyme was stimulated by addition of Ca2+, Zn2+, and Co2+. Addition of calmodulin or trifluoperazine had no effect. In the presence of Ca2+ and Zn2+, the Michaelis constant (Km) for ATP was approximately 0.1 mM and the maximum velocity (Vmax) was close to 90 nmol X min-1 X mg protein-1. After preincubation of the islets for 30 min with 16.7 mM glucose or 5 mM glucose with 1 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), a three- to fourfold increase in enzyme activity was seen. Direct addition of IBMX or cAMP to the enzyme assay also had a small stimulatory effect. Preincubation with the insulin secretagogues leucine and alpha-ketoisocaproic acid did not affect the enzyme activity. The possible function of the enzyme in pancreatic islets is discussed in relation to hypotheses given for the function of similar enzyme(s) in other tissues.

Multiple sites of purinergic control of insulin secretion in mouse pancreatic beta-cells.

In mouse pancreatic beta-cells, extracellular ATP (0.1 mmol/l) effectively reduced glucose-induced insulin secretion. This inhibitory action resulted from a direct interference with the secretory machinery, and ATP suppressed depolarization-induced exocytosis by 60% as revealed by high-resolution capacitance measurements. Suppression of Ca2+-dependent exocytosis was mediated via binding to P2Y1 purinoceptors but was not associated with inhibition of the voltage-dependent Ca2+ currents or adenylate cyclase activity. Inhibition of exocytosis by ATP resulted from G-protein-dependent activation of the serine/threonine protein phosphatase calcineurin and was abolished by cyclosporin A and deltamethrin. In contrast to the direct inhibitory action on exocytosis, ATP reduced the whole-cell ATP-sensitive K+ (K(ATP)) current by 30% (via activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2), leading to membrane depolarization and stimulation of electrical activity. The stimulatory effect of ATP also involved mobilization of Ca2+ from thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular stores. We propose that the inhibitory action of ATP, by interacting with the secretory machinery at a level downstream to an elevation in [Ca2+]i, is important for autocrine regulation of insulin secretion in mouse beta-cells.

Production of [3H]choline-labelled metabolites from endogenously 3H-labelled phosphatidylcholine in mouse pancreatic islets.

The involvement of phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis in the regulation of insulin secretion was studied in mouse pancreatic islets prelabelled with [3H]choline. Phospholipase C (PLC) and phospholipase D (PLD) activities were demonstrated and also that of an enzyme that removes both fatty acids from PC and thus catalyses the production of [3H]glycerophosphorylcholine (GroPCho). After 2 min of incubation with 20 mM glucose a 35% increase in the content of [3H]GroPCho was observed in prelabelled islets, whereas the amount of [3H]lysoPC, [3H]phosphorylcholine (PCho) and [3H]choline was unaffected. After 30 min of incubation with 20 mM glucose, 0.2 mM tolbutamide, 40 mM KC1, 10 mM succinic acid monomethyl ester (SME) or 10 mM NaF, a 25-50% increase in [3H]GroPCho was observed. In the presence of 100 microM diazoxide or 35 microM RHC 80267 the glucose activation was attenuated. PLC was stimulated slightly by tolbutamide and 100 microM isoprenaline (isoproterenol), whereas SME decreased the amount of [3H]PCho by 10%. [3H]Choline content was increased by 25-40% in the presence of 0.16 microM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), 10 mM NaF or 100 microM carbachol. This effect of fluoride was potentiated in the presence of 20 mM glucose. It is concluded that metabolism of PC to GroPCho may be involved in the regulation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and that PLD may participate in insulin secretion evoked by TPA, carbachol and fluoride.

Inhibition of glucose-induced insulin secretion by the diacylglycerol lipase inhibitor RHC 80267 and the phospholipase A2 inhibitor ACA through stimulation of K+ permeability without diminution by exogenous arachidonic acid.

The effects of the diacylglycerol lipase inhibitor 1,6-bis-(cyclohexyloximinocarbonyl-amino)-hexane (RHC 80267) and the phospholipase A2 inhibitor N-(p-amylcinnamoyl)anthranilic acid (ACA) on insulin secretion and 86Rb+ efflux in mouse pancreatic islets were studied. RHC 80267 (35 microM) and ACA (100 microM) inhibited glucose (16.7 mM)-induced insulin secretion, but did not inhibit insulin secretion induced by K+ (40 mM) or the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA; 0.16 microM). K+ (40 mM) or TPA (0.16 microM) potentiated glucose (16.7 mM)-induced insulin secretion, and prevented inhibition of glucose (16.7 mM)-induced insulin secretion by RHC 80267 and ACA. In comparison, potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion by albumin-bound arachidonic acid (AA; 200 microM total; 10 microM free unbound) failed to counteract inhibition of glucose-induced insulin secretion by RHC 80267 or ACA, suggesting that inhibition of insulin secretion by these agents was not mediated by a decrease in AA accumulation in islets. Determination of 86Rb+ efflux, a marker of K+ channel activity, revealed that both RHC 80267 and ACA stimulated K+ efflux from islets. These effects of RHC 80267 and ACA were observed at both 3.3 and 16.7 mM glucose and persisted in Ca2+-free medium, suggesting that they may represent an opening of ATP-sensitive K+ channels. RHC 80267-mediated stimulation of 86Rb+ efflux was not mimicked by the diacylglycerol analog TPA (0.16 microM) and was not prevented by the diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor R 59022 (50 microM), suggesting that stimulation of 86Rb+ efflux did not reflect a conditional increase in diacylglycerol or in phosphatidic acid upon inhibition of diacylglycerol lipase. In contrast, TPA (0.16 microM) attenuated RHC 80267 and ACA stimulation of 86Rb+ efflux. Addition of AA (200 microM total; 10 microM free unbound) stimulated 86Rb+ efflux, suggesting that stimulation of 86Rb+ efflux by RHC 80267 and ACA was not due to a decrease in AA accumulation. This stimulation by AA was not dependent on AA metabolism because it persisted in the presence of the lipoxygenase inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA; 50 microM) or the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (50 microM). In contrast to RHC 80267 and ACA, AA stimulation of 86Rb+ efflux was attenuated in Ca2+-free medium, probably implicating Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels in AA regulation of 86Rb+ efflux. Parallel experiments with diazoxide (100 microM) revealed that RHC 80267 and ACA mimicked the effects of diazoxide, a specific activator of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in islets, on both insulin secretion and 86Rb+ efflux. In conclusion, it is suggested that RHC 80267 and ACA, independently of their action on AA release, may inhibit glucose-induced insulin secretion by the opening of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in islets.

Characteristics of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C activity from mouse pancreatic islets.

In pancreatic islets the bulk of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity was cytosolic. The soluble enzyme was activated by submicromolar concentrations of Ca2+, independent of calmodulin. It was unaffected by glucose and a series of glycolytic intermediates, including glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. These observations lend support to the hypothesis that glucose-stimulated inositol triphosphate production in islets may be secondary to and provoked by glucose-mediated Ca2+ influx. All four pyridine nucleotides stimulated PI-PLC. Phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis was also stimulated by dioleine and arachidonic acid, and by the polyamines, putrescine and spermine. Phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis was inhibited by chlorpromazine, tetracaine, ATP, 5'-AMP, inorganic pyrophosphate and by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine--but not affected by phosphatidylethanolamine. The cyclic nucleotides, cAMP and cGMP had no effect on the enzyme, and GTP-gamma-S did not activate the enzyme event at very low Ca2+ concentrations. The diglyceride lipase inhibitor, RHC 80267, and the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, had no effect on PI-PLC activity.

Ca(2+)- and ATP-dependent reversible inactivation of pancreatic islet phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C activity.

Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity in whole homogenates of mouse pancreatic islets decreased 60-85% when the homogenates were incubated at 37 degrees C for 1 h in the presence of down to micromolar concentrations of Ca2+. Ca(2+)-induced inactivation was augmented by calmodulin, the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate in the presence of ATP-Mg, and by Mg2+. Inactivation was inhibited when ATP was removed and completely abolished by trifluoperazine and EGTA. Inactivation was not affected by the non-phosphorylating ATP analogue, AMP-PCP, GMP-PNP, glucose, Zn2+ or a series of protease inhibitors. These observations suggest that PI-PLC in broken cell preparations of pancreatic islets may be inactivated via phosphorylation by Ca(2+)-calmodulin-stimulated protein kinase and/or protein kinase C. Inactivation of PI-PLC was reversible. Reactivation started after approx. 2 h incubation, when the concentration of ATP in the homogenate was below 0.15 x 10(-6) M. PI-PLC activity returned to values approx. 25% higher than the initial values. PI-PLC inactivation via phosphorylation by the mentioned protein kinases may constitute a feedback control on the phosphoinositide response, attenuating subsequent diacylglycerol formation and/or Ca2+ mobilization by inositol trisphosphate.

L-arginine stimulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion through membrane depolarization and independent of nitric oxide.

The mechanism of L-arginine stimulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion from mouse pancreatic islets was studied. At 16.7 mmol/l glucose, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) potentiated both phases 1 and 2 of glucose-induced insulin secretion. This potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion was mimicked by the membrane depolarizing agents tetraethylammonium (TEA, 20 mmol/l) and K+ (60 mmol/l), which at 16.7 mmol/l glucose obliterated L-arginine (10 mmol/l) modulation of insulin secretion. Thus L-arginine may potentiate glucose-induced insulin secretion by stimulation of membrane depolarization. At 3.3 mmol/l glucose, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) failed to stimulate insulin secretion. In accordance with membrane depolarization by the electrogenic transport of L-arginine, however, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) stimulation of insulin secretion was enabled by the K+ channel inhibitor TEA (20 mmol/l), which potentiates membrane depolarization by L-arginine. Furthermore, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) stimulation of insulin secretion was permitted by forskolin (10 micromol/l) or tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (0.16 micromol/l), which, by activation of protein kinases A and C respectively sensitize the exocytotic machinery to L-arginine-induced Ca2+ influx. Thus glucose may sensitize L-arginine stimulation of insulin secretion by potentiation of membrane depolarization and by activation of protein kinase A or protein kinase C. Finally, L-arginine stimulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion was mimicked by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10 mmol/l), which stimulates membrane depolarization but inhibits nitric oxide synthase, suggesting that L-arginine-derived nitric oxide neither inhibits nor stimulates insulin secretion. In conclusion, it is suggested that L-arginine potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion occurs independently of nitric oxide, but is mediated by membrane depolarization, which stimulates insulin secretion through protein kinase A- and C-sensitive mechanisms.

Carbamoylcholine regulation of polyphosphoinositide synthesis and hydrolysis in cultured, dispersed, digitonin-permeabilized mouse pancreatic islet cells.

Continuing formation of inositol phosphates during stimulation of pancreatic beta-cells by hormones and neurotransmitters requires the continued synthesis of the polyphosphoinositides phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PIP2) from phosphatidylinositol (PI). In the present study we have investigated how this pathway and the activity of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) are regulated by carbamoylcholine (CCh), Ca2+, the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), GTP gamma S and NaF in 44-h [3H]inositol-labelled, dispersed and digitonin-permeabilized mouse pancreatic islet cells. CCh stimulated not only PI-PLC (G-protein-mediated) but also, by an as yet unknown mechanism, significantly enhanced PI 4-kinase activity, estimated as the PIP:PI ratio, by 100%, and further increased the flux from PI to PIP and PIP2, GTP gamma S and NaF mimicked the effects of CCh on PI-PLC but had no effect on the levels of PIP and PIP2, TPA raised the PIP:PI ratio by 75%. In addition TPA counteracted the CCh stimulation of PI-PLC. There was no effect of 10(-6) mol/l Ca2+ on the levels of PIP and PIP2. Experiments with quinacrine and adenosine confirmed that PI-PLC and PI 4-kinase could be regulated independently of each other. In conclusion, these data point to differential regulation of polyphosphoinositide synthesis and breakdown.

Mechanism of fat-induced attenuation of glucose-induced insulin secretion from mouse pancreatic islets.

In order to investigate the mechanism behind fat-induced inhibition of glucose-induced insulin secretion a selection of enzymes that may participate in regulation of pancreatic islet glucose oxidation was studied in islets isolated from mice that had been fed on a laboratory chow diet or on a high-fat diet for 10-12 weeks. At 20 mmol/L glucose production of (14)CO(2) from [U-(14)C]-glucose was decreased 50% in islets from fat-fed mice. At 3.3 mmol/L glucose the glucose oxidation rate was similar in the two groups. The fatinduced decrease in glucose oxidation rate was correlated with a 35% decrease in the maximal glucokinase activity. The K(m) for glucose was unchanged. No differences between the diet groups were found in the activities of hexokinase, phosphofructo-1-kinase, glucose 6-phosphatase or mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. After preincubation with 20 mmol/L glucose the activity of cytosolic Ca(2+)-independent as well as Ca(2+)-dependent phospholipase A(2) was unchanged by fat-feeding. However, the activity of lysophospholipase was significantly increased by fat feeding, which may result in lowered concentrations of islet lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC). It is concluded that in fat-induced diabetic animals a decrease in islet glucokinase may contribute considerably to the decrease in islet glucose oxidation rate. Furthermore, the study raises the possibility that changes in islet lysoPC may contribute to the fat-induced attenuation of glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Long-term fat-feeding-induced insulin resistance in normal NMRI mice: postreceptor changes of liver, muscle and adipose tissue metabolism resembling those of type 2 diabetes.

Postreceptor insulin resistance was studied in liver, muscle and adipose tissue from NMRI mice of both sexes made diabetic by long-term fat-feeding. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests showed a combination of impaired glucose tolerance and increased plasma insulin concentrations consistent with insulin resistance and reduced peripheral and hepatic uptake of glucose. In the morning, the fat-fed mice were normoinsulinaemic and hyperglycaemic. Liver glucokinase activity and glycogen content were reduced whereas lactate dehydrogenase activity was enhanced. Fatty acid synthase activity was decreased but glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the rate limiting enzyme in fatty acid synthesis, acetyl CoA carboxylase, were both unaffected. In muscle, the proportion of glycogen synthase in the active I-form was decreased. Total glycogen synthase activity was not affected. In isolated adipocytes, basal and insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation, as well as basal and insulin-stimulated lipogenesis from glucose were all severely inhibited, oxidation more so than lipogenesis. It is concluded that insulin resistance and postreceptor metabolic disorders in liver, muscle and adipose tissue from mice made diabetic by long-term fat-feeding are very similar to those demonstrated in human type 2 diabetics and may be studied in more detail and with more ease in this particular animal model.

Fat-induced changes in mouse pancreatic islet insulin secretion, insulin biosynthesis and glucose metabolism.

Insulin secretion, insulin biosynthesis and islet glucose oxidation were studied in pancreatic islets isolated from fat-fed diabetic mice of both sexes. Insulin secretion from isolated islets was studied after consecutive stimulation with alpha-ketoisocaproic acid + glutamine, glucose, forskolin, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. Glucose-induced insulin secretion was impaired in islets from fat-fed mice. This was associated with a reduction of approximately 50% in islet glucose oxidation. Islet insulin secretion stimulated by the non-carbohydrate secretagogues tended to be higher in the fat-fed mice, but a statistically significant effect was not observed. Pancreatic insulin content was reduced by 50%, whereas the islet insulin and DNA content was unchanged after fat feeding. Proinsulin mRNA was reduced by 35% in islets from fat-fed mice, and was associated with a reduction of approximately 50% in glucose-stimulated (pro)insulin biosynthesis. It is concluded that the insulin secretory response of islets isolated from fat-fed mice is similar to the secretory pattern known from human type 2, non-insulin-dependent diabetics, and that a defect in islet glucose recognition, resulting in decreased glucose oxidation, may be responsible for the observed insulin secretory and biosynthetic defects seen after glucose stimulation.

The role of phosphoenolpyruvate and lactate production in insulin secretion.

There is a positive correlation between lactate output and insulin secretion but there is no correlation between total islet PEP content and insulin secretion and no correlation between cAMP production and insulin release. Neither PEP or cAMP seem to be primary triggers to insulin release but may rather act as positive modulators of insulin secretion. Potentially, PEP can maintain an elevated cytoplasmic Ca++ concentration by inhibiting Ca++ uptake in the mitochondria, increase the concentration of cAMP in the beta-cells by activating the adenylate cyclase (11) and change the phosphorylation state of the plasma membrane (12). The possible trigger effect of an increased glycolytic flux on insulin secretion may be mediated perhaps via changes in the NADH/NAD+ ratio (13). As regards the mechanism of potentiation of insulin release: in the fed state potentiation may be related to an increased glycolytic flux whereas this is not the case during starvation. Here enhancement of cAMP may play a role.

Differential mechanisms of glucose and palmitate in augmentation of insulin secretion in mouse pancreatic islets.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: To assess the possible importance of saturated fatty acids in glucose amplification of K+ATP channel-independent insulin secretion. METHODS: Insulin release from perifused pancreatic islets of NMRI mice was determined by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: In the presence of K+ (20 mmol/l) and diazoxide (250 micromol/l), which stimulates Ca2+ influx and opens K+ATP channels, palmitate (165 micromol/l total; 1.2 micromol/l free) increased insulin secretion at 3.3, 10 and 16.7 mmol/l glucose while glucose (10; 16.7 mmol/l) did not increase insulin secretion. In the presence of K+ (60 mmol/l) and diazoxide (250 micromol/l), glucose (10; 16.7 mmol/l) stimulation of K+ATP channel-independent insulin secretion increased, whereas the effectiveness of palmitate (165 micromol/l total; 1.2 micromol/l free) on insulin secretion at both 3.3, 10 or 16.7 mmol/l glucose was reduced. Palmitate thereby mimicked the stimulatory pattern of the protein kinase C activator, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (0.16 micromol/l), which also failed to increase insulin secretion at maximum depolarising concentrations of K+ (60 mmol/l). Furthermore, the protein kinase C inhibitor calphostin C (1 micromol/1), led to a complete suppression of the effects of both palmitate (165 micromol/l total; 1.2 micromol/l free) and myristate (165 micromol/l total; 2.4 micromol/l free) stimulation of glucose (16.7 mmol/l)-induced insulin secretion. Calphostin C (1 micromol/l), however, failed to affect insulin secretion induced by glucose (16.7 mmol/l). CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: These data suggest that glucose could increase insulin secretion independently of saturated fatty acids like palmitate and myristate, which amplify glucose-induced insulin secretion by activation of protein kinase C.

Inosine-stimulated insulin release and metabolism of inosine in isolated mouse pancreatic islets.

Inosine is a potent primary stimulus of insulin secretion from isolated mouse islets. The inosine-induced insulin secretion was totally depressed during starvation, but was completely restored by the addition of 5 mM-caffeine to the medium and partially restored by the addition of 5 mM-glucose. Mannoheptulose (3 mg/ml) potentiated the effect of 10 mM-inosine in islets from fed mice. The mechanism of the stimulatory effect of inosine was further investigated, and it was demonstrated that pancreatic islets contain a nucleoside phosphorylase capable of converting inosine into hypoxanthine and ribose 1-phosphate. Inosine at 10 mM concentration increased the lactate production and the content of ATP, glucose 6-phosphate (fructose 1,6-diphosphate + triose phosphates) and cyclic AMP in islets from fed mice. In islets from starved mice inosine-induced lactate production was decreased and no change in the concentration of cyclic AMP could be demonstrated, whereas the concentration of ATP and glucose 6-phosphate rose. Inosine (10 mM) induced a higher concentration of (fructose 1,6-diphosphate + triose phosphates) in islets from starved mice than in islets from fed mice suggesting that in starvation the activities of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase or other enzymes below this step in glycolysis are decreased. Formation of glucose from inosine was negligible. Inosine had no direct effect on adenylate cyclase activity in islet homogenates. The observed changes in insulin secretion and islet metabolism mimic what is seen when glucose and glyceraldehyde stimulate insulin secretion, and as neither ribose nor hypoxanthine-stimulated insulin release, the results are interpreted as supporting the substrate-site hypothesis for glucose-induced insulin secretion according to which glucose has to be metabolized in the beta-cells before secretion is initiated.