OBJECTIVEZinc ions are essential for the formation of hexameric insulin and hormone crystallization. A nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphism rs13266634 in the SLC30A8 gene, encoding the secretory granule zinc transporter ZnT8, is associated with type 2 diabetes. We describe the effects of deleting the ZnT8 gene in mice and explore the action of the at-risk allele.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSSlc30a8 null mice were generated and backcrossed at least twice onto a C57BL/6J background. Glucose and insulin tolerance were measured by intraperitoneal injection or euglycemic clamp, respectively. Insulin secretion, electrophysiology, imaging, and the generation of adenoviruses encoding the low- (W325) or elevated- (R325) risk ZnT8 alleles were undertaken using standard protocols.RESULTSZnT8−/− mice displayed age-, sex-, and diet-dependent abnormalities in glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, and body weight. Islets isolated from null mice had reduced granule zinc content and showed age-dependent changes in granule morphology, with markedly fewer dense cores but more rod-like crystals. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, granule fusion, and insulin crystal dissolution, assessed by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, were unchanged or enhanced in ZnT8−/− islets. Insulin processing was normal. Molecular modeling revealed that residue-325 was located at the interface between ZnT8 monomers. Correspondingly, the R325 variant displayed lower apparent Zn2+ transport activity than W325 ZnT8 by fluorescence-based assay.CONCLUSIONSZnT8 is required for normal insulin crystallization and insulin release in vivo but not, remarkably, in vitro. Defects in the former processes in carriers of the R allele may increase type 2 diabetes risks.
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has recently been implicated in the control of preproinsulin gene expression in pancreatic islet β-cells [da Silva Xavier, Leclerc, Salt, Doiron, Hardie, Kahn and Rutter (2000) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 4023–4028]. Using pharmacological and molecular strategies to regulate AMPK activity in rat islets and clonal MIN6 β-cells, we show here that the effects of AMPK are exerted largely upstream of insulin release. Thus forced increases in AMPK activity achieved pharmacologically with 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICAR), or by adenoviral overexpression of a truncated, constitutively active form of the enzyme (AMPKα1.T172D), blocked glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In MIN6 cells, activation of AMPK suppressed glucose metabolism, as assessed by changes in total, cytosolic or mitochondrial [ATP] and NAD(P)H, and reduced increases in intracellular [Ca2+] caused by either glucose or tolbutamide. By contrast, inactivation of AMPK by expression of a dominant-negative form of the enzyme mutated in the catalytic site (AMPKα1.D157A) did not affect glucose-stimulated increases in [ATP], NAD(P)H or intracellular [Ca2+], but led to the unregulated release of insulin. These results indicate that inhibition of AMPK by glucose is essential for the activation of insulin secretion by the sugar, and may contribute to the transcriptional stimulation of the preproinsulin gene. Modulation of AMPK activity in the β-cell may thus represent a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AMPK (5'-AMP-activated protein kinase) is emerging as a metabolic master switch, by which cells in both mammals and lower organisms sense and decode changes in energy status. Changes in AMPK activity have been shown to regulate glucose transport in muscle and glucose production by the liver. Moreover, AMPK appears to be a key regulator of at least one transcription factor linked to a monogenic form of diabetes mellitus. As a result, considerable efforts are now under way to explore the usefulness of AMPK as a therapeutic target for other forms of this disease. Here we review this topic, and discuss new findings which suggest that AMPK may play roles in regulating insulin release and the survival of pancreatic islet beta-cells, and nutrient sensing by the brain.
Glutamine acts as a trigger and potentiator of GLP-1 release, consistent with its role as the major metabolic fuel for the gut. The results suggest that nutritional agents like glutamine might have beneficial effects in diabetes and obesity.
In pancreatic  cells, elevated glucose concentrations stimulate mitochondrial oxidative metabolism to raise intracellular ATP/ADP levels, prompting insulin secretion. Unusually low levels of expression of genes encoding the plasma membrane monocarboxylate transporter, MCT1 (SLC16A1), as well as lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) ensure that glucose-derived pyruvate is efficiently metabolized by mitochondria, while exogenous lactate or pyruvate is unable to stimulate metabolism and hence insulin secretion inappropriately. We show here that whereas DNA methylation at the Mct1 promoter is unlikely to be involved in cell-type-specific transcriptional repression, three microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-29a, miR-29b, and miR-124, selectively target both human and mouse MCT1 3 untranslated regions. Mutation of the cognate miR-29 or miR-124 binding sites abolishes the effects of the corresponding miRNAs, demonstrating a direct action of these miRNAs on the MCT1 message. However, despite reports of its expression in the mouse -cell line MIN6, miR-124 was not detectably expressed in mature mouse islets. In contrast, the three isoforms of miR-29 are highly expressed and enriched in mouse islets. We show that inhibition of miR-29a in primary mouse islets increases Mct1 mRNA levels, demonstrating that miR-29 isoforms contribute to the -cell-specific silencing of the MCT1 transporter and may thus affect insulin release.Glucose metabolism in pancreatic  cells is specialized to efficiently couple glucose oxidation to an increase in ATP/ADP ratio, critical for stimulating insulin secretion (37). Alternative metabolic pathways that could interfere with glucose sensing are suppressed by specifically "disallowing" expression of certain genes in  cells. These disallowed genes include those encoding lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), which converts pyruvate to lactate (25,39,40), and MCT1 (SLC16A1) (14,15,17,40,45,46), a plasma membrane monocarboxylate transporter. Both of these genes are widely expressed in other tissues but display very low expression levels in  cells (32,40). This modification seems likely to serve a 2-fold role: first, to avoid inappropriate stimulation of oxidative metabolism, and hence insulin release, in response to circulating pyruvate or lactate; and second, to prevent the loss of glucose-derived pyruvate from  cells.The effects of inappropriate overexpression of MCT1 are observed in the rare genetic disorder physical exercise-induced hypoglycemia (32). In this condition, autosomal dominant mutations in the MCT1 (SLC16A1) promoter lead to increased transcription of the MCT1 gene sufficient to overcome the -cell-specific block on expression (31). During strenuous physical exercise, pyruvate and lactate produced by anaerobic metabolism in skeletal muscle are released into the bloodstream. The presence of MCT1 then appears to allow the circulating pyruvate/lactate to enter  cells, where it acts as a substrate for mitochondrial oxidation leading to an increased cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio. This triggers insulin release desp...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.