Dysregulation of cholesterol homeostasis is an early signal of beta cell proteotoxicity characteristic of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a common metabolic disease due to insufficient insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells in the context of insulin resistance. Islet molecular pathology reveals a role for protein misfolding in beta cell dysfunction and loss with islet amyloid derived from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), a protein co-expressed and co-secreted with insulin. The most toxic form of misfolded IAPP is intracellular membrane disruptive toxic oligomers present in beta cells in T2D and in beta cells of mice transgenic for human IAPP (hIAPP). Prior work revealed a high degree of overlap of transcriptional changes in islets from T2D and pre-diabetic 9-10-week-old mice transgenic for hIAPP with most changes being pro-survival adaptations and therefore of limited therapeutic guidance. Here we investigated islets from hIAPP transgenic mice at an earlier age (6 weeks) to screen for potential mediators of hIAPP toxicity that precede predominance of pro-survival signaling. We identified early suppression of cholesterol synthesis and trafficking along with aberrant intra-beta cell cholesterol and lipid deposits, and impaired cholesterol trafficking to cell membranes. These findings align with comparable lipid deposits present in beta cells in T2D and increased vulnerability to develop T2D in individuals taking medications that suppress cholesterol synthesis.

IAPP-induced beta cell stress recapitulates the islet transcriptome in type 2 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Type 2 diabetes is characterised by islet amyloid and toxic oligomers of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). We posed the questions, (1) does IAPP toxicity induce an islet response comparable to that in humans with type 2 diabetes, and if so, (2) what are the key transcriptional drivers of this response? METHODS: The islet transcriptome was evaluated in five groups of mice: beta cell specific transgenic for (1) human IAPP, (2) rodent IAPP, (3) human calpastatin, (4) human calpastatin and human IAPP, and (5) wild-type mice. RNA sequencing data was analysed by differential expression analysis and gene co-expression network analysis to establish the islet response to adaptation to an increased beta cell workload of soluble rodent IAPP, the islet response to increased expression of oligomeric human IAPP, and the extent to which the latter was rescued by suppression of calpain hyperactivation by calpastatin. Rank-rank hypergeometric overlap analysis was used to compare the transcriptome of islets from human or rodent IAPP transgenic mice vs humans with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: The islet transcriptomes in humans with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are remarkably similar. Beta cell overexpression of soluble rodent or oligomer-prone human IAPP induced changes in islet transcriptome present in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, including decreased expression of genes that confer beta cell identity. Increased expression of human IAPP, but not rodent IAPP, induced islet inflammation present in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in humans. Key mediators of the injury responses in islets transgenic for human IAPP or those from individuals with type 2 diabetes include STAT3, NF-κB, ESR1 and CTNNB1 by transcription factor analysis and COL3A1, NID1 and ZNF800 by gene regulatory network analysis. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Beta cell injury mediated by IAPP is a plausible mechanism to contribute to islet inflammation and dedifferentiation in type 2 diabetes. Inhibition of IAPP toxicity is a potential therapeutic target in type 2 diabetes.

Activation of the HIF1α/PFKFB3 stress response pathway in beta cells in type 1 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The conserved hypoxia inducible factor 1 α (HIF1α) injury-response pro-survival pathway has recently been implicated in early beta cell dysfunction but slow beta cell loss in type 2 diabetes. We hypothesised that the unexplained prolonged prediabetes phase in type 1 diabetes may also be, in part, due to activation of the HIF1α signalling pathway. METHODS: RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data from human islets with type 1 diabetes or after cytokine exposure in vitro was evaluated for activation of HIF1α targets. This was corroborated by immunostaining human pancreases from individuals with type 1 diabetes for 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3), the key effector of HIF1α-mediated metabolic remodelling, and by western blotting of islets and INS-1 832/13 cells exposed to cytokines implicated in type 1 diabetes. RESULTS: HIF1α signalling is activated (p = 4.5 × 10-9) in islets from individuals with type 1 diabetes, and in human islets exposed in vitro to cytokines implicated in type 1 diabetes (p = 1.1 × 10-14). Expression of PFKFB3 is increased fivefold (p < 0.01) in beta cells in type 1 diabetes and in human and rat islets exposed to cytokines that induced increased lactate production. HIF1α attenuates cytokine-induced cell death in beta cells. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The conserved pro-survival HIF1α-mediated injury-response signalling is activated in beta cells in type 1 diabetes and likely contributes to the relatively slow rate of beta cell loss at the expense of early defective glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Pregnancy in human IAPP transgenic mice recapitulates beta cell stress in type 2 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) misfolding and toxic oligomers contribute to beta cell loss and stress in type 2 diabetes. Pregnancy-related diabetes predicts subsequent risk for type 2 diabetes but little is known about the impact of pregnancy on beta cell mass, turnover and stress. Availability of human pancreas tissue in pregnancy is limited and most widely used mouse models of type 2 diabetes do not develop pregnancy-related diabetes, possibly because rodent IAPP is not prone to form toxic oligomers. We hypothesised that mice transgenic for human IAPP (hIAPP) are prone to pregnancy-related diabetes with beta cell responses reflective of those in type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We evaluated the impact of a first and second pregnancy on glucose homeostasis, beta cell mass and turnover and markers of beta cell stress in hIAPP transgenic (hTG) mice. RESULTS: Pregnancy induced both endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress and compromised autophagy in beta cells in hTG mice, which are characteristic of beta cells in type 2 diabetes. Beta cell stress persisted after pregnancy, resulting in subsequent diabetes before or during a second pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: High expression of hIAPP in response to pregnancy recapitulates mechanisms contributing to beta cell stress in type 2 diabetes. We hypothesise that, in individuals prone to type 2 diabetes, pregnancy-induced increased expression of IAPP inflicts beta cell damage that persists and is compounded by subsequent additive stress such as further pregnancy. The hTG mouse model is a novel model for pregnancy-related diabetes.

In the setting of ß-cell stress, the pancreatic duct gland transcriptome shows characteristics of an activated regenerative response.

The pancreatic duct gland (PDG) compartment has been proposed as a potential stem cell niche based on its coiled tubular structure embedded in mesenchyme, its proliferation and expansion in response to pancreatic injury, and the fact that it contains endocrine and exocrine epithelial cells. Little is known of the molecular signature of the PDG compartment in either a quiescent state or the potentially activated state during ß-cell stress characteristic of diabetes. To address this, we performed RNA sequencing on RNA obtained from PDGs of wild-type vs. prediabetic HIP rats, a model of type 2 diabetes. The transcriptome of the PDG compartment, compared with a library of 84 tissue types, placed PDGs midpoint between the exocrine and endocrine pancreas and closely related to seminiferous tubules, consistent with a role as a stem cell niche for the exocrine and endocrine pancreas. Standard differential expression analysis (permissive threshold P < 0.005) identified 245 genes differentially expressed in PDGs from HIP rats vs. WT rats, with overrepresentation of transcripts involved in acute inflammatory responses, regulation of cell proliferation, and tissue development, while pathway analysis pointed to enrichment of cell movement-related pathways. In conclusion, the transcriptome of the PDG compartment is consistent with a pancreatic stem cell niche that is activated by ongoing ß-cell stress signals. The documented PDG transcriptome provides potential candidates to be exploited for lineage tracing studies of this as yet little investigated compartment. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The pancreatic duct gland (PDG) compartment has been proposed as a potential stem cell niche. Transcriptome analysis of the PDG gland placed it midpoint between exocrine and endocrine tissues with adaptation toward response to inflammation and increased cell movement in a model of type 2 diabetes with ongoing ß-cell apoptosis. These findings support the proposal that PDGs may act as a pancreatic stem cell niche.

Membrane Curvature-sensing and Curvature-inducing Activity of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide and Its Implications for Membrane Disruption.

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a 37-amino acid amyloid protein intimately associated with pancreatic islet ß-cell dysfunction and death in type II diabetes. In this study, we combine spectroscopic methods and microscopy to investigate α-helical IAPP-membrane interactions. Using light scattering and fluorescence microscopy, we observe that larger vesicles become smaller upon treatment with human or rat IAPP. Electron microscopy shows the formation of various highly curved structures such as tubules or smaller vesicles in a membrane-remodeling process, and spectrofluorometric detection of vesicle leakage shows disruption of membrane integrity. This effect is stronger for human IAPP than for the less toxic rat IAPP. From CD spectra in the presence of different-sized vesicles, we also uncover the membrane curvature-sensing ability of IAPP and find that it transitions from inducing to sensing membrane curvature when lipid negative charge is decreased. Our in vivo EM images of immunogold-labeled rat IAPP and human IAPP show both forms to localize to mitochondrial cristae, which contain not only locally curved membranes but also phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin, lipids with high spontaneous negative curvature. Disruption of membrane integrity by induction of membrane curvature could apply more broadly to other amyloid proteins and be responsible for membrane damage observed in other amyloid diseases as well.

Evaluation of immunohistochemical staining for glucagon in human pancreatic tissue.

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) staining techniques are important diagnostic tools of anatomic pathology in the clinical setting and widely used analytical tools in research laboratories. In diabetes research, they are routinely used for the assessment of beta- and alpha-cell mass, for assessment of endocrine cell distribution within the pancreas, for evaluation of islet composition and islet morphology. Here, we present the evaluation of IHC techniques for the detection of alpha-cells in human pancreatic tissue. We compared the Horse Radish Peroxidase (HRP)-based method utilizing DAB Peroxidase Substrate to the Alkaline Phosphatase (AP)-based method utilizing Vector Red substrate. We conclude that HRP-DAB staining is a robust and reliable method for detection of alpha-cells using either rabbit polyclonal or mouse monoclonal anti-glucagon antibodies. However, AP-Vector Red staining should be used with caution, because it is affected by the dehydration with ethanol and toluene preceding the mounting of slides with Permount mounting medium. When AP-Vector Red is a preferable method for alpha-cell labeling, slides should be mounted using aqueous mounting medium or, alternatively, they could be air-dried before permanent mounting.

Recovery of high-quality RNA from laser capture microdissected human and rodent pancreas.

Laser capture microdissection (LCM) is a powerful method to isolate specific populations of cells for subsequent analysis such as gene expression profiling, for example, microarrays or ribonucleic (RNA)-Seq. This technique has been applied to frozen as well as formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens with variable outcomes regarding quality and quantity of extracted RNA. The goal of the study was to develop the methods to isolate high-quality RNA from islets of Langerhans and pancreatic duct glands (PDG) isolated by LCM. We report an optimized protocol for frozen sections to minimize RNA degradation and maximize recovery of expected transcripts from the samples using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) by adding RNase inhibitors at multiple steps during the experiment. This technique reproducibly delivered intact RNA (RIN values 6-7). Using quantitative RT-PCR, the expected profiles of insulin, glucagon, mucin6 (Muc6), and cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) mRNA in PDGs and pancreatic islets were detected. The described experimental protocol for frozen pancreas tissue might also be useful for other tissues with moderate to high levels of intrinsic ribonuclease (RNase) activity.

Application of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to monitor glucose metabolism in pancreatic islets in vivo.

Glucose stimulated insulin secretion is mediated by glucose metabolism via oxidative phosphorylation generating ATP that triggers membrane depolarization and exocytosis of insulin. In stressed beta cells, glucose metabolism is remodeled, with enhanced glycolysis uncoupled from oxidative phosphorylation, resulting in the impaired glucose-mediated insulin secretion characteristic of diabetes. Relative changes in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation can be monitored in living cells using the 3-component fitting approach of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). We engrafted pancreatic islets onto the iris to permit in vivo FLIM monitoring of the trajectory of glucose metabolism. The results show increased oxidative phosphorylation of islet cells (∼90% beta cells) in response to hyperglycemia; in contrast red blood cells traversing the islets maintained exclusive glycolysis as expected in the absence of mitochondria.

Efficacy of IAPP suppression in mouse and human islets by GLP-1 analogue conjugated antisense oligonucleotide.

Insulin resistance is the major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes (T2D). In vulnerable individuals, insulin resistance induces a progressive loss of insulin secretion with islet pathology revealing a partial deficit of beta cells and islet amyloid derived from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). IAPP is co-expressed and secreted with insulin by beta cells, expression of both proteins being upregulated in response to insulin resistance. If IAPP expression exceeds the threshold for clearance of misfolded proteins, beta cell failure occurs exacerbated by the action of IAPP toxicity to compromise the autophagy lysosomal pathway. We postulated that suppression of IAPP expression by an IAPP antisense oligonucleotide delivered to beta cells by the GLP-1 agonist exenatide (eGLP1-IAPP-ASO) is a potential disease modifying therapy for T2D. While eGLP1-IAPP-ASO suppressed mouse IAPP and transgenic human IAPP expression in mouse islets, it had no discernable effects on IAPP expression in human islets under the conditions studied. Suppression of transgenic human IAPP expression in mouse islets attenuated disruption of the autophagy lysosomal pathway in beta cells, supporting the potential of this strategy.

Islet amyloid in type 2 diabetes, and the toxic oligomer hypothesis.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is characterized by insulin resistance, defective insulin secretion, loss of beta-cell mass with increased beta-cell apoptosis and islet amyloid. The islet amyloid is derived from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP, amylin), a protein coexpressed and cosecreted with insulin by pancreatic beta-cells. In common with other amyloidogenic proteins, IAPP has the propensity to form membrane permeant toxic oligomers. Accumulating evidence suggests that these toxic oligomers, rather than the extracellular amyloid form of these proteins, are responsible for loss of neurons in neurodegenerative diseases. In this review we discuss emerging evidence to suggest that formation of intracellular IAPP oligomers may contribute to beta-cell loss in T2DM. The accumulated evidence permits the amyloid hypothesis originally developed for neurodegenerative diseases to be reformulated as the toxic oligomer hypothesis. However, as in neurodegenerative diseases, it remains unclear exactly why amyloidogenic proteins form oligomers in vivo, what their exact structure is, and to what extent these oligomers play a primary or secondary role in the cytotoxicity in what are now often called unfolded protein diseases.

Pancreatitis, pancreatic, and thyroid cancer with glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapy is gaining widespread use for type 2 diabetes, although there are concerns about risks for pancreatitis and pancreatic and thyroid cancers. There are also concerns that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors could cause cancer, given their effects on immune function. METHODS: We examined the US Food and Drug Administration's database of reported adverse events for those associated with the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor sitagliptin and the glucagon-like peptide-1 mimetic exenatide, from 2004-2009; data on adverse events associated with 4 other medications were compared as controls. The primary outcomes measures were rates of reported pancreatitis, pancreatic and thyroid cancer, and all cancers associated with sitagliptin or exenatide, compared with other therapies. RESULTS: Use of sitagliptin or exenatide increased the odds ratio for reported pancreatitis 6-fold as compared with other therapies (P<2×10(-16)). Pancreatic cancer was more commonly reported among patients who took sitagliptin or exenatide as compared with other therapies (P<.008, P<9×10(-5)). All other cancers occurred similarly among patients who took sitagliptin compared with other therapies (P=.20). CONCLUSIONS: These data are consistent with case reports and animal studies indicating an increased risk for pancreatitis with glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapy. The findings also raise caution about the potential long-term actions of these drugs to promote pancreatic cancer.

Calcium-activated calpain-2 is a mediator of beta cell dysfunction and apoptosis in type 2 diabetes.

The islet in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and the brain in neurodegenerative diseases share progressive cell dysfunction, increased apoptosis, and accumulation of locally expressed amyloidogenic proteins (islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) in T2DM). Excessive activation of the Ca(2+)-sensitive protease calpain-2 has been implicated as a mediator of oligomer-induced cell death and dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. To establish if human IAPP toxicity is mediated by a comparable mechanism, we overexpressed human IAPP in rat insulinoma cells and freshly isolated human islets. Pancreas was also obtained at autopsy from humans with T2DM and nondiabetic controls. We report that overexpression of human IAPP leads to the formation of toxic oligomers and increases beta cell apoptosis mediated by increased cytosolic Ca(2+) and hyperactivation of calpain-2. Cleavage of alpha-spectrin, a marker of calpain hyperactivation, is increased in beta cells in T2DM. We conclude that overactivation of Ca(2+)-calpain pathways contributes to beta cell dysfunction and apoptosis in T2DM.

Shortened {beta}-cell lifespan leads to {beta}-cell deficit in a rodent model of type 2 diabetes.

Since the fundamental defect in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is ß-cell failure, there is increasing interest in the capacity, if any, for ß-cell regeneration. Insights into typical ß-cell age and lifespan during normal development and how these are influenced in diabetes is desirable to realistically establish the prospects for ß-cell regeneration as means to reverse the deficit in ß-cell mass in diabetes. We assessed the mean ß-cell age and lifespan by the classical McKendrick-von Foester equation that describes the age-based heterogeneity of ß-cells in terms of the time-varying ß-cell formation and loss estimated by a ß-cell turnover model. This modeling approach was applied to evaluate ß-cell lifespan in a rodent model of type 2 diabetes in comparison with nondiabetic controls. When rats were 10 mo old, mean ß-cell lifespan was 1 mo vs. 6 mo in rats with type 2 diabetes vs. controls. A shortened ß-cell lifespan in a rat model of type 2 diabetes results in a decrease in mean ß-cell age and thus contributes to decreased ß-cell mass.

Evidence for proteotoxicity in beta cells in type 2 diabetes: toxic islet amyloid polypeptide oligomers form intracellularly in the secretory pathway.

The islet in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by a deficit in beta cells and islet amyloid derived from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), a protein co-expressed with insulin by beta cells. It is increasingly appreciated that the toxic form of amyloidogenic proteins is not amyloid but smaller membrane-permeant oligomers. Using an antibody specific for toxic oligomers and cryo-immunogold labeling in human IAPP transgenic mice, human insulinoma and pancreas from humans with and without T2DM, we sought to establish the abundance and sites of formation of IAPP toxic oligomers. We conclude that IAPP toxic oligomers are formed intracellularly within the secretory pathway in T2DM. Most striking, IAPP toxic oligomers appear to disrupt membranes of the secretory pathway, and then when adjacent to mitochondria, disrupt mitochondrial membranes. Toxic oligomer-induced secretory pathway and mitochondrial membrane disruption is a novel mechanism to account for cellular dysfunction and apoptosis in T2DM.

The ß-cell glucose toxicity hypothesis: Attractive but difficult to prove.

ß cells in the hyperglycemic environment of diabetes have marked changes in phenotype and function that are largely reversible if glucose levels can be returned to normal. A leading hypothesis is that these changes are caused by the elevated glucose levels leading to the concept of glucose toxicity. Support for the glucose toxicity hypothesis is largely circumstantial, but little progress has been made in defining the responsible mechanisms. Then questions emerge that are difficult to answer. In the very earliest stages of diabetes development, there is a dramatic loss of glucose-induced first-phase insulin release (FPIR) with only trivial elevations of blood glucose levels. A related question is how impaired insulin action on target tissues such as liver, muscle and fat can cause increased insulin secretion. The existence of a sophisticated feedback mechanism between insulin secretion and insulin action on peripheral tissues driven by glucose has been postulated, but it has been difficult to measure increases in blood glucose levels that might have been expected. These complexities force us to challenge the simplicity of the glucose toxicity hypothesis and feedback mechanisms. It may turn out that glucose is somehow driving all of these changes, but we must develop new questions and experimental approaches to test the hypothesis.

Live-cell imaging of glucose-induced metabolic coupling of ß and α cell metabolism in health and type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by ß and α cell dysfunction. We used phasor-FLIM (Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy) to monitor oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis in living islet cells before and after glucose stimulation. In healthy cells, glucose enhanced oxidative phosphorylation in ß cells and suppressed oxidative phosphorylation in α cells. In Type 2 diabetes, glucose increased glycolysis in ß cells, and only partially suppressed oxidative phosphorylation in α cells. FLIM uncovers key perturbations in glucose induced metabolism in living islet cells and provides a sensitive tool for drug discovery in diabetes.

Inconsistent formation and nonfunction of insulin-positive cells from pancreatic endoderm derived from human embryonic stem cells in athymic nude rats.

Embryonic stem cell therapy has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy to restore ß-cell mass and function in T1DM. Recently, a group from Novocell (now ViaCyte) reported successful development of glucose-responsive islet-like structures after implantation of pancreatic endoderm (PE) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into immune-deficient mice. Our objective was to determine whether implantation of hESC-derived pancreatic endoderm from Novocell into athymic nude rats results in development of viable glucose-responsive pancreatic endocrine tissue. Athymic nude rats were implanted with PE derived from hESC either via implantation into the epididymal fat pads or by subcutaneous implantation into TheraCyte encapsulation devices for 20 wk. Blood glucose, weight, and human insulin/C-peptide secretion were monitored by weekly blood draws. Graft ß-cell function was assessed by a glucose tolerance test, and graft morphology was assessed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. At 20 wk postimplantation, epididymal fat-implanted PE progressed to develop islet-like structures in 50% of implants, with a mean ß-cell fractional area of 0.8 ± 0.3%. Human C-peptide and insulin were detectable, but at very low levels (C-peptide = 50 ± 26 pmol/l and insulin = 15 ± 7 pmol/l); however, there was no increase in human C-peptide/insulin levels after glucose challenge. There was no development of viable pancreatic tissue or meaningful secretory function when human PE was implanted in the TheraCyte encapsulation devices. These data confirm that islet-like structures develop from hESC differentiated to PE by the protocol developed by NovoCell. However, the extent of endocrine cell formation and secretory function is not yet sufficient to be clinically relevant.

Visualizing insulin vesicle neighborhoods in ß cells by cryo-electron tomography.

Subcellular neighborhoods, comprising specific ratios of organelles and proteins, serve a multitude of biological functions and are of particular importance in secretory cells. However, the role of subcellular neighborhoods in insulin vesicle maturation is poorly understood. Here, we present single-cell multiple distinct tomogram acquisitions of ß cells for in situ visualization of distinct subcellular neighborhoods that are involved in the insulin vesicle secretory pathway. We propose that these neighborhoods play an essential role in the specific function of cellular material. In the regions where we observed insulin vesicles, a measurable increase in both the fraction of cellular volume occupied by vesicles and the average size (diameter) of the vesicles was apparent as sampling moved from the area near the nucleus toward the plasma membrane. These findings describe the important role of the nanometer-scale organization of subcellular neighborhoods on insulin vesicle maturation.