Enhanced expression of beta cell Ca(v)3.1 channels impairs insulin release and glucose homeostasis

Voltage-gated calcium 3.1 (Ca(v)3.1) channels are absent in healthy mouse beta cells and mediate minor T-type Ca2+ currents in healthy rat and human beta cells but become evident under diabetic conditions. Whether more active Ca(v)3.1 channels affect insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis remains enigmatic. We addressed this question by enhancing de novo expression of beta cell Ca(v)3.1 channels and exploring the consequent impacts on dynamic insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis as well as underlying molecular mechanisms with a series of in vitro and in vivo approaches. We now demonstrate that a recombinant adenovirus encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein-Ca(v)3.1 subunit (Ad-EGFP-Ca(v)3.1) efficiently transduced rat and human islets as well as dispersed islet cells. The resulting Ca(v)3.1 channels conducted typical T-type Ca2+ currents, leading to an enhanced basal cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)). Ad-EGFP-Ca(v)3.1-transduced islets released significantly less insulin under both the basal and first phases following glucose stimulation and could no longer normalize hyperglycemia in recipient rats rendered diabetic by streptozotocin treatment. Furthermore, Ad-EGFP-Ca(v)3.1 transduction reduced phosphorylated FoxO1 in the cytoplasm of INS-1E cells, elevated FoxO1 nuclear retention, and decreased syntaxin 1A, SNAP-25, and synaptotagmin III. These effects were prevented by inhibiting Ca(v)3.1 channels or the Ca2+ -dependent phosphatase calcineurin. Enhanced expression of beta cell Ca(v)3.1 channels therefore impairs insulin release and glucose homeostasis by means of initial excessive Ca2+ influx, subsequent activation of calcineurin, consequent dephosphorylation and nuclear retention of FoxO1, and eventual FoxO1-mediated down-regulation of beta cell exocytotic proteins. The present work thus suggests an elevated expression of Ca(v)3.1 channels plays a significant role in diabetes pathogenesis

Human islet microtissues as an in vitro and an in vivo model system for diabetes

Loss of pancreatic β-cell function is a critical event in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes. However, studies of its underlying mechanisms as well as the discovery of novel targets and therapies have been hindered due to limitations in available experimental models. In this study we exploited the stable viability and function of standardized human islet microtissues to develop a disease-relevant, scalable, and reproducible model of β-cell dysfunction by exposing them to long-term glucotoxicity and glucolipotoxicity. Moreover, by establishing a method for highly-efficient and homogeneous viral transduction, we were able to monitor the loss of functional β-cell mass in vivo by transplanting reporter human islet microtissues into the anterior chamber of the eye of immune-deficient mice exposed to a diabetogenic diet for 12 weeks. This newly developed in vitro model as well as the described in vivo methodology represent a new set of tools that will facilitate the study of β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes and would accelerate the discovery of novel therapeutic agents

Alpha2-adrenoreceptor stimulation does not inhibit L-type calcium channels in mouse pancreatic β-cells

The effects of α2-adrenergic stimulation on the Ca2+-current in mouse pancreatic β-cells were investigated using the patch-clamp technique. When using the conventional whole-cell recording configuration (dialysis of cell interior with pipette solution), addition of adrenaline (1 μM) or the α2-adrenergic agonist clonidine (5 μM) failed to reduce the Ca2+-current, irrespective of whether intracellular GTP (or GTPγ S) was present or not and at both physiological (1.3 mM) and elevated (10.2 mM) Ca2+-concentrations. In fact, in the absence of added guanine nucleotides, the agonists tended to increase the Ca2+-current amplitude in the presence of the higher Ca2+-concentration. Ca2+-channel activation measured at 1.3 mM Ca2+ was not affected by clonidine. Half-maximal activation was observed at ≈−20 mV. In addition, when Ca2+-currents were recorded from intact β-cells, using the perforated patch whole-cell configuration, clonidine (1 μM) also failed to detectably affect the Ca2+-current. It is therefore suggested that the inhibition of β-cell electrical activity and insulin-secretion produced by α2-adrenoreceptor stimulation does not result from suppression of the L-type Ca2+-current

Large-Scale Functional Genomics Screen to Identify Modulators of Human β-Cell Insulin Secretion

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting almost half a billion people worldwide. Impaired function of pancreatic β-cells is both a hallmark of T2D and an underlying factor in the pathophysiology of the disease. Understanding the cellular mechanisms regulating appropriate insulin secretion has been of long-standing interest in the scientific and clinical communities. To identify novel genes regulating insulin secretion we developed a robust arrayed siRNA screen measuring basal, glucose-stimulated, and augmented insulin secretion by EndoC-βH1 cells, a human β-cell line, in a 384-well plate format. We screened 521 candidate genes selected by text mining for relevance to T2D biology and identified 23 positive and 68 negative regulators of insulin secretion. Among these, we validated ghrelin receptor (GHSR), and two genes implicated in endoplasmic reticulum stress, ATF4 and HSPA5. Thus, we have demonstrated the feasibility of using EndoC-βH1 cells for large-scale siRNA screening to identify candidate genes regulating β-cell insulin secretion as potential novel drug targets. Furthermore, this screening format can be adapted to other disease-relevant functional endpoints to enable large-scale screening for targets regulating cellular mechanisms contributing to the progressive loss of functional β-cell mass occurring in T2D