Cyclin D2 Protein Stability Is Regulated in Pancreatic β-Cells

The molecular determinants of β-cell mass expansion remain poorly understood. Cyclin D2 is the major D-type cyclin expressed in β-cells, essential for adult β-cell growth. We hypothesized that cyclin D2 could be actively regulated in β-cells, which could allow mitogenic stimuli to influence β-cell expansion. Cyclin D2 protein was sharply increased after partial pancreatectomy, but cyclin D2 mRNA was unchanged, suggesting posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms influence cyclin D2 expression in β-cells. Consistent with this hypothesis, cyclin D2 protein stability is powerfully regulated in fibroblasts. Threonine 280 of cyclin D2 is phosphorylated, and this residue critically limits D2 stability. We derived transgenic (tg) mice with threonine 280 of cyclin D2 mutated to alanine (T280A) or wild-type cyclin D2 under the control of the insulin promoter. Cyclin D2 T280A protein was expressed at much higher levels than wild-type cyclin D2 protein in β-cells, despite equivalent expression of tg mRNAs. Cyclin D2 T280A tg mice exhibited a constitutively nuclear cyclin D2 localization in β-cells, and increased cyclin D2 stability in islets. Interestingly, threonine 280-mutant cyclin D2 tg mice had greatly reduced β-cell apoptosis, with suppressed expression of proapoptotic genes. Suppressed β-cell apoptosis in threonine 280-mutant cyclin D2 tg mice resulted in greatly increased β-cell area in aged mice. Taken together, these data indicate that cyclin D2 is regulated by protein stability in pancreatic β-cells, that signals that act upon threonine 280 limit cyclin D2 stability in β-cells, and that threonine 280-mutant cyclin D2 overexpression prolongs β-cell survival and augments β-cell mass expansion

Insulin Receptor Substrate-2 in β-Cells Decreases Diabetes in Nonobese Diabetic Mice

Insulin receptor substrate-2 (Irs2) integrates insulin-like signals with glucose and cAMP agonists to regulate β-cell growth, function, and survival. This study investigated whether increased Irs2 concentration in β-cells could reduce β-cell destruction and the incidence of type 1 diabetes in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. NOD mice were intercrossed with C57BL/6 mice overexpressing Irs2 specifically in β-cells to create NODIrs2 mice. After backcrossing NODIrs2 mice for 12 generations, glucose homeostasis and diabetes incidence were compared against NOD littermates. Compared with 12-wk-old NOD mice, the progression of severe insulitis was reduced and islet mass was increased in NODIrs2 mice. Moreover, the risk of diabetes decreased 50% in NODIrs2 mice until the experiment was terminated at 40 wk of age. Nondiabetic NODIrs2 mice displayed better glucose tolerance than nondiabetic NOD mice throughout the duration of the study and up to the age of 18 months. The effect of Irs2 to increase islet mass and improve glucose tolerance raised the possibility that NODIrs2 mice might have an increased capacity to respond to anti-CD3 antibody, which can induce remission of overt diabetes in some NOD mice. Anti-CD3 antibody injections restored glucose tolerance in newly diabetic NOD and NODIrs2 mice; however, anti-CD3-treated NODIrs2 mice were less likely than NOD mice to relapse during the experimental period because they displayed 10-fold greater β-cell mass and mitogenesis. In conclusion, increased Irs2 attenuated the progression of β-cell destruction, promoted β-cell mitogenesis, and reduced diabetes incidence in NODIrs2 mice