Upregulation of the expression of tight and adherens junction-associated proteins during, maturation of neonatal pancreatic islets in vitro

Cell-cell contacts mediated by intercellular junctions are crucial for proper insulin secretion in (he endocrine pancreas. The biochemical composition of the intercellular junctions in this organ and the role of junctional proteins in endocrine pancreatic dysfunctions are still unclear. In this study. we investigated the expression and cellular location of junctional and cytoskeletal proteins in cultured neonatal rat pancreatic islets. Neonatal B-cells had an impaired insulin secretion compared to adult cells. Cultured neonatal islets showed a time-dependent increase in the glucose-induced secretory response. The maturation of B-cells in vitro was accompanied by upregulation of the expression of some junctional proteins in islet cells. Neonatal islets cultured for only 24 h showed a low expression and a diffuse cytoplasmic location of the tight junctional proteins occludin and ZO-1 and of the adherens junctional proteins alpha- and beta-catenins, as demonstrated by immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry. Culturing islets for up to 8 days significantly increased the cell expression of these junctional proteins but not of the cytoskeletal proteins vinculin and a-actinin. A translocation of ZO-1 and catenins to the cell-cell contact region. as well as a higher association of F-actin with the intercellular junction. were also observed in neonatal islets following prolonged culturing. ZO-1 and beta-catenin were immunolocated in the endocrine pancreas of adult rats indicating that these junctional proteins are also expressed in this organ in situ. In conclusion. endocrine pancreatic cells express several junctional proteins that are upregulated following differentiation of the endocrine pancreas in vitro.354189081182

Co-expression and regulation of connexins 36 and 43 in cultured neonatal rat pancreatic islets

Fetal and neonatal pancreatic islets present a lower insulin secretory response as compared with adult islets. Prolonged culturing leads to an improvement of the glucose-induced insulin secretion response in neonatal pancreatic islets that may involve regulation of gap junction mediated cell communication. In this study, we investigated the effect of culturing neonatal islet cells for varying periods of time and with different glucose medium concentrations on the cellular expression of the endocrine pancreatic gap junction associated connexin (Cx) 36 and Cx43. We report here that the 7-d culture induced upregulation of the expression of these junctional proteins in neonatal islets in a time-dependent manner. A correlation was observed between the increased mRNA and protein expression of Cx36 and Cx43 and the increased insulin secretion following islet culturing. In addition, increasing glucose concentration within the culture medium induced a concentration-dependent enhancement of Cx36 islet expression, but not of Cx43 expression in cultured neonatal islets. In conclusion, we suggest that the regulation of gap junctional proteins by culture medium containing factors and glucose may be an important event for the maturation process of P cells observed at in vitro conditions.83214215

Increased expression of SNARE proteins and synaptotagmin IV in islets from pregnant rats and in vitro prolactin-treated neonatal islets

During pregnancy and the perinatal period of life, prolactin (PRL) and other lactogenic substances induce adaptation and maturation of the stimulus-secretion coupling system in pancreatic beta-cells. Since the SNARE molecules, SNAP-25, syntaxin 1, VAMP-2, and synaptotagmins participate in insulin secretion, we investigated whether the improved secretory response to glucose during these periods involves alteration in the expression of these proteins. mRNA was extracted from neonatal rat islets cultured for 5 days in the presence of PRL and from pregnant rats (17(th)-18(th) days of pregnancy) and reverse transcribed. The expression of genes was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR assay. The expression of proteins was analyzed by Western blotting and confocal microscopy. Transcription and expression of all SNARE genes and proteins were increased in islets from pregnant and PRL-treated neonatal rats when compared with controls. The only exception was VAMP-2 production in islets from pregnant rats. Increased mRNA and protein expression of synaptotagmin IV, but not the isoform I, also was observed in islets from pregnant and PRL-treated rats. This effect was not inhibited by wortmannin or PD098059, inhibitors of the P13-kinase and MAPK pathways, respectively. As revealed by confocal laser microscopy, both syntaxin 1A and synaptotagmin IV were immunolocated in islet cells, including the insulin-containing cells. These results indicate that PRL modulates the final steps of insulin secretion by increasing the expression of proteins involved in membrane fusion.39355556

Beta cell coupling and connexin expression change during the functional maturation of rat pancreatic islets

Cell-cell coupling mediated by gap junctions formed from connexin (CX) contributes to the control of insulin secretion in the endocrine pancreas. We investigated the cellular production and localisation of CX36 and CX43, and gap junction-mediated beta cell coupling in pancreatic islets from rats of different ages, displaying different degrees of maturation of insulin secretion. The presence and distribution of islet connexins were assessed by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. The expression of connexin genes was evaluated by RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR. The ultrastructure of gap junctions and the function of connexin channels were assessed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy and tracer microinjection, respectively. Young and adult beta cells, which respond to glucose, expressed significantly higher levels of Cx36 (also known as Gjd2) than fetal and newborn beta cells, which respond poorly to the sugar. Accordingly, adult beta cells also showed a significantly higher membrane density of gap junctions and greater intercellular exchange of ethidium bromide than newborn beta cells. Cx43 (also known as Gja1) was not expressed by beta cells, but was located in various cell types at the periphery of fetal and newborn islets. These findings show that the pattern of connexins, gap junction membrane density and coupling changes in islets during the functional maturation of beta cells.5371428143

Impaired beta-cell-beta-cell coupling mediated by Cx36 gap junctions in prediabetic mice

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Carvalho CP, Oliveira RB, Britan A, Santos-Silva JC, Boschero AC, Meda P, Collares-Buzato CB. Impaired beta-cell-beta-cell coupling mediated by Cx36 gap junctions in prediabetic mice. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 303: E144-E151, 2012. First published May 8, 2012; doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00489.2011.-Gap junctional intercellular communication between beta-cells is crucial for proper insulin biosynthesis and secretion. The aim of this work was to investigate the expression of connexin (Cx) 36 at the protein level as well as the function and structure of gap junctions (GJ) made by this protein in the endocrine pancreas of prediabetic mice. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat (HF) or regular chow diet for 60 days. HF-fed mice became obese and prediabetic, as shown by peripheral insulin resistance, moderate hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and compensatory increase in endocrine pancreas mass. Compared with control mice, prediabetic animals showed a significant decrease in insulin-secretory response to glucose and displayed a significant reduction in islet Cx36 protein. Ultrastructural analysis further showed that prediabetic mice had GJ plaques about one-half the size of those of the control group. Microinjection of isolated pancreatic islets with ethidium bromide revealed that prediabetic mice featured a beta-cell-beta-cell coupling 30% lower than that of control animals. We conclude that beta-cell-beta-cell coupling mediated by Cx36 made-channels is impaired in prediabetic mice, suggesting a role of Cx36-dependent cell-to-cell communication in the pathogenesis of the early beta-cell dysfunctions that lead to type 2-diabetes.o TEXTO COMPLETO DESTE ARTIGO, ESTARÁ DISPONÍVEL À PARTIR DE AGOSTO DE 2015.3031E144E151Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Swiss National Science Foundation [310030_141162, CR32I3_129987]Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation [40-2011-11]European Union [BETAIMAGE 222980, IMI, IMIDIA, C2008-T7]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)FAPESP [2006/50758-3, 2009/52824-1, 2010/50789-1]CNPq [201862/207-7]Swiss National Science Foundation [310030_141162, CR32I3_129987]Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation [40-2011-11]European Union [BETAIMAGE 222980, IMI, IMIDIA, C2008-T7