Identification of an inward Na+ current activated by acetylcholine in mouse pancreatic -cells

Our aim was to identify and characterize the current by which acetylcholine (ACh) depolarizes the plasma membrane of pancreatic beta-cells. The observations that this depolarization is abrogated by omission of Na+, and that ACh increases cytosolic [Na+] suggested that the current is carried by Na+. [...

Role of the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase SERCA3 in Ca2+ signaling in mouse Beta-cells

Pancreatic islets express both the high Ca" -affinity SERCA2b and the low Ca"-affinity SERCA3. Dysregulation of the SERCA3 activity has been associated with type 2 diabetes in mice and humans. Wild type (+f+) and SERCA3 KO (-f.) mice were used to evaluate the role of SERCA3 in J3-cell [Ca'+], regulation and insulin secretion, and to estimate its contribution to glucose homeostasis [...