Aims/hypothesisPancreatic islet beta cell failure causes type 2 diabetes in humans. To identify transcriptomic changes in type 2 diabetic islets, the Innovative Medicines Initiative for Diabetes: Improving beta-cell function and identification of diagnostic biomarkers for treatment monitoring in Diabetes (IMIDIA) consortium (www.imidia.org) established a comprehensive, unique multicentre biobank of human islets and pancreas tissues from organ donors and metabolically phenotyped pancreatectomised patients (PPP).MethodsAffymetrix microarrays were used to assess the islet transcriptome of islets isolated either by enzymatic digestion from 103 organ donors (OD), including 84 non-diabetic and 19 type 2 diabetic individuals, or by laser capture microdissection (LCM) from surgical specimens of 103 PPP, including 32 non-diabetic, 36 with type 2 diabetes, 15 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 20 with recent-onset diabetes (<1 year), conceivably secondary to the pancreatic disorder leading to surgery (type 3c diabetes). Bioinformatics tools were used to (1) compare the islet transcriptome of type 2 diabetic vs non-diabetic OD and PPP as well as vs IGT and type 3c diabetes within the PPP group; and (2) identify transcription factors driving gene co-expression modules correlated with insulin secretion ex vivo and glucose tolerance in vivo. Selected genes of interest were validated for their expression and function in beta cells.ResultsComparative transcriptomic analysis identified 19 genes differentially expressed (false discovery rate ≤0.05, fold change ≥1.5) in type 2 diabetic vs non-diabetic islets from OD and PPP. Nine out of these 19 dysregulated genes were not previously reported to be dysregulated in type 2 diabetic islets. Signature genes included TMEM37, which inhibited Ca2+-influx and insulin secretion in beta cells, and ARG2 and PPP1R1A, which promoted insulin secretion. Systems biology approaches identified HNF1A, PDX1 and REST as drivers of gene co-expression modules correlated with impaired insulin secretion or glucose tolerance, and 14 out of 19 differentially expressed type 2 diabetic islet signature genes were enriched in these modules. None of these signature genes was significantly dysregulated in islets of PPP with impaired glucose tolerance or type 3c diabetes.Conclusions/interpretationThese studies enabled the stringent definition of a novel transcriptomic signature of type 2 diabetic islets, regardless of islet source and isolation procedure. Lack of this signature in islets from PPP with IGT or type 3c diabetes indicates differences possibly due to peculiarities of these hyperglycaemic conditions and/or a role for duration and severity of hyperglycaemia. Alternatively, these transcriptomic changes capture, but may not precede, beta cell failure.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00125-017-4500-3) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

Insulin secretion is key for glucose homeostasis. Insulin secretory granules (SGs) exist in different functional pools, with young SGs being more mobile and preferentially secreted. However, the principles governing the mobility of age-distinct SGs remain undefined. Using the time-reporter insulin-SNAP to track age-distinct SGs we now show that their dynamics can be classified into three components: highly dynamic, restricted, and nearly immobile. Young SGs display all three components, whereas old SGs are either restricted or nearly immobile. Both glucose stimulation and F-actin depolymerization recruit a fraction of nearly immobile young, but not old, SGs for highly dynamic, microtubule-dependent transport. Moreover, F-actin marks multigranular bodies/lysosomes containing aged SGs. These data demonstrate that SGs lose their responsiveness to glucose stimulation and competence for microtubule-mediated transport over time while changing their relationship with F-actin.

Islet cell autoantigen 512 (ICA512)/IA-2 is a receptor tyrosine phosphatase-like protein associated with the insulin secretory granules (SGs) of pancreatic β-cells. Here, we show that exocytosis of SGs and insertion of ICA512 in the plasma membrane promotes the Ca2+-dependent cleavage of ICA512 cytoplasmic domain by μ-calpain. This cleavage occurs at the plasma membrane and generates an ICA512 cytosolic fragment that is targeted to the nucleus, where it binds the E3-SUMO ligase protein inhibitor of activated signal transducer and activator of transcription-y (PIASy) and up-regulates insulin expression. Accordingly, this novel pathway directly links regulated exocytosis of SGs and control of gene expression in β-cells, whose impaired insulin production and secretion causes diabetes.

Nutrients and growth hormones promote insulin production and the proliferation of pancreatic beta-cells. An imbalance between ever-increasing metabolic demands and insulin output causes diabetes. Recent evidence indicates that beta-cells enhance insulin gene expression depending on their secretory activity. This signalling pathway involves a catalytically inactive receptor tyrosine phosphatase, ICA512, whose cytoplasmic tail is cleaved on glucose-stimulated exocytosis of insulin secretory granules and then moves into the nucleus, where it upregulates insulin transcription. Here, we show that the cleaved cytosolic fragment of ICA512 enhances the transcription of secretory granule genes (including its own gene) by binding to tyrosine phosphorylated signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 5 and preventing its dephosphorylation. Sumoylation of ICA512 by the E3 SUMO ligase PIASy, in turn, may reverse this process by decreasing the binding of ICA512 to STAT5. These findings illustrate how the exocytosis of secretory granules, through a retrograde pathway that sustains STAT activity, converges with growth hormone signalling to induce adaptive changes in beta-cells in response to metabolic demands.

Obese adipose tissue (AT)3 inflammation contributes critically to development of insulin resistance. The complement anaphylatoxin C5a receptor (C5aR) has been implicated in inflammatory processes and as regulator of macrophage activation and polarization. However, the role of C5aR in obesity and AT inflammation has not been addressed. We engaged the model of diet-induced obesity and found that expression of C5aR was significantly upregulated in the obese AT, as compared to lean AT. Additionally, C5a was present in obese AT in the proximity of macrophage-rich crown-like structures. C5aR-sufficient and –deficient mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) or a normal diet (ND). C5aR-deficiency was associated with increased AT weight upon ND in males but not in females and with increased adipocyte size upon ND and HFD conditions in males. However, obese C5aR−/− mice displayed improved systemic and AT insulin sensitivity. Improved AT insulin sensitivity in C5aR−/− mice was associated with reduced accumulation of total and pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages in the obese AT, increased expression of IL-10 and decreased AT fibrosis. In contrast no difference in beta cell mass was observed due to C5aR-deficiency under HFD. These results suggest that C5aR contributes to macrophage accumulation and M1 polarization in the obese AT and thereby to AT dysfunction and development of AT insulin resistance.

Changes in metabolic demands dynamically regulate the total mass of adult pancreatic ␤-cells to adjust insulin secretion and preserve glucose homeostasis. Glucose itself is a major regulator of ␤-cell proliferation by inducing insulin secretion and activating ␤-cell insulin receptors. Here, we show that islet cell autoantigen 512 (ICA512)/IA-2, an intrinsic tyrosine phosphatase-like protein of the secretory granules, activates a complementary pathway for ␤-cell proliferation. On granule exocytosis, the ICA512 cytoplasmic domain is cleaved and the resulting cytosolic fragment (ICA512-CCF) moves into the nucleus where it enhances the levels of phosphorylated STAT5 and STAT3, thereby inducing insulin gene transcription and granule biogenesis. We now show that knockdown of ICA512 decreases cyclin D1 levels and proliferation of insulinoma INS-1 cells, whereas ␤-cell regeneration is reduced in partially pancreatectomized ICA512 ؊/؊ mice. Conversely, overexpression of ICA512-CCF increases both cyclin D1 and D2 levels and INS-1 cell proliferation. Up-regulation of cyclin D1 and D2 by ICA512-CCF is affected by knockdown of STAT3 and STAT5, respectively, whereas it does not require insulin signaling. These results identify ICA512 as a regulator of cyclins D and ␤-cell proliferation through STATs and may have implication for diabetes therapy.diabetes ͉ insulin ͉ phosphatase ͉ regeneration ͉ secretion

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is a key regulator of membrane fluidity, turns over rapidly, and represents a model for selective degradation of short-lived proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The mechanism whereby specific ER proteins are targeted for degradation in the midst of stable proteins coexisting in the same membrane is unknown. To investigate the intracellular fate of SCD and to identify the determinants involved in the rapid turnover of SCD, we created chimeras of SCD tagged at the C terminus with the green fluorescent protein (GFP). The fusion proteins were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and exhibited an ER localization. Unlike native GFP, the SCD-GFP construct was unstable and had a half life of a few hours. Truncated fusion proteins consisting of residues 27-358 and 45-358 of SCD linked to the N terminus of GFP were stable. To investigate the general applicability of the N terminus of SCD in the destabilization of proteins, we fused residues 1-33 of SCD to the N terminus of GFP. The resulting chimera was extremely short lived. To investigate the effect of membrane sidedness on the fusion protein degradation, we attached a lumenal targeting signal to the N terminus of SCD 1-33-GFP. The construct was localized to the lumen of ER and was metabolically stable, indicating that SCD degradation signal functions on the cytosolic rather than the lumenal side of the ER. These results demonstrate that the N-terminal segment of some 30 residues of SCD constitutes a motif responsible for the rapid degradation of SCD. Metabolic instability is a property of many regulatory proteins. The structural features that distinguish short-lived proteins from metabolically stable ones remain largely unknown. The lipid composition of cellular membranes is regulated to maintain a specific membrane fluidity and perhaps the rate of endocytosis. Stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) is the key enzyme in this process. SCD introduces a cis-double bond in the ⌬9 position of saturated fatty acids in a reaction requiring NADH, the flavoprotein NADH-reductase, cytochrome b5, and oxygen, resulting in the production of monounsaturated fatty acyl derivatives (1). Rat liver SCD is a single polypeptide of 358 residues that spans three cellular compartments: cytosol, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, and the ER lumen (2).In liver microsomes, SCD can be induced more than 50-fold by the administration of a fat-free high-carbohydrate diet. Abrupt termination of the dietary regimen causes a rapid decrease of SCD activity and the protein content to a very low level (1). The levels of cytochrome b5 and the NADHcytochrome b5 reductase are not altered by the dietary regimen. In kidney, lung, spleen, and heart, induction of SCD by dietary manipulations occurs to a lesser extent. In contrast to hepatocytes, which express only one form of SCD (SCD1), adipose tissue and neural tissue express SCD1 and SCD2 isoforms (3). The SCD1 and SCD2 genes encode proteins of 358 amino acids with greater than 88% identity but differ markedly in their prom...

ObjectiveMicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an integral role in maintaining beta cell function and identity. Deciphering their targets and precise role, however, remains challenging. In this study, we aimed to identify miRNAs and their downstream targets involved in the regeneration of islet beta cells following partial pancreatectomy in mice.MethodsRNA from laser capture microdissected (LCM) islets of partially pancreatectomized and sham-operated mice were profiled with microarrays to identify putative miRNAs implicated in beta cell regeneration. Altered expression of the selected miRNAs, including miR-132, was verified by RT-PCR. Potential targets of miR-132 were selected through bioinformatic data mining. Predicted miR-132 targets were validated for their changed RNA, protein expression levels, and signaling upon miR-132 knockdown and/or overexpression in mouse MIN6 and human EndoC-βH1 insulinoma cells. The ability of miR-132 to foster beta cell proliferation in vivo was further assessed in pancreatectomized miR-132−/− and control mice.ResultsPartial pancreatectomy significantly increased the number of BrdU+/insulin+ islet cells. Microarray profiling revealed that 14 miRNAs, including miR-132 and -141, were significantly upregulated in the LCM islets of the partially pancreatectomized mice compared to the LCM islets of the control mice. In the same comparison, miR-760 was the only downregulated miRNA. The changed expression of these miRNAs in the islets of the partially pancreatectomized mice was confirmed by RT-PCR only in the case of miR-132 and -141. Based on previous knowledge of its function, we focused our attention on miR-132. Downregulation of miR-132 reduced the proliferation of MIN6 cells while enhancing the levels of pro-apoptotic cleaved caspase-9. The opposite was observed in miR-132 overexpressing MIN6 cells. Microarray profiling, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting of the latter cells demonstrated their downregulated expression of Pten with concomitant increased levels of pro-proliferative factors phospho-Akt and phospho-Creb and inactivation of pro-apoptotic Foxo3a via its phosphorylation. Downregulation of Pten was further confirmed in the LCM islets of pancreatectomized mice compared to the sham-operated mice. Moreover, overexpression of miR-132 correlated with increased proliferation of EndoC-βH1 cells. The regeneration of beta cells following partial pancreatectomy was lower in the miR-132/212−/− mice than the control littermates.ConclusionsThis study provides compelling evidence about the critical role of miR-132 for the regeneration of mouse islet beta cells through the downregulation of its target Pten. Hence, the miR-132/Pten/Akt/Foxo3 signaling pathway may represent a suitable target to enhance beta cell mass.