Aims/hypothesisATP links changes in glucose metabolism to electrical activity, Ca2+ signalling and insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells. There is evidence that beta cell metabolism oscillates, but little is known about ATP dynamics at the plasma membrane, where regulation of ion channels and exocytosis occur.MethodsThe sub-plasma-membrane ATP concentration ([ATP]pm) was recorded in beta cells in intact mouse and human islets using total internal reflection microscopy and the fluorescent reporter Perceval.ResultsGlucose dose-dependently increased [ATP]pm with half-maximal and maximal effects at 5.2 and 9 mmol/l, respectively. Additional elevations of glucose to 11 to 20 mmol/l promoted pronounced [ATP]pm oscillations that were synchronised between neighbouring beta cells. [ATP]pm increased further and the oscillations disappeared when voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx was prevented. In contrast, K+-depolarisation induced prompt lowering of [ATP]pm. Simultaneous recordings of [ATP]pm and the sub-plasma-membrane Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]pm) during the early glucose-induced response revealed that the initial [ATP]pm elevation preceded, and was temporarily interrupted by the rise of [Ca2+]pm. During subsequent glucose-induced oscillations, the increases of [Ca2+]pm correlated with lowering of [ATP]pm.Conclusions/interpretationIn beta cells, glucose promotes pronounced oscillations of [ATP]pm, which depend on negative feedback from Ca2+. The bidirectional interplay between these messengers in the sub-membrane space generates the metabolic and ionic oscillations that underlie pulsatile insulin secretion.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-013-2894-0) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

Aims/hypothesis Glucagon is critical for normal glucose homeostasis and aberrant secretion of the hormone aggravates dysregulated glucose control in diabetes. However, the mechanisms by which glucose controls glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha cells remain elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the intracellular messenger cAMP in alpha-cell-intrinsic glucose regulation of glucagon release. Methods Subplasmalemmal cAMP and Ca 2+ concentrations were recorded in isolated and islet-located alpha cells using fluorescent reporters and total internal reflection microscopy. Glucagon secretion from mouse islets was measured using ELISA. Results Glucose induced Ca 2+ -independent alterations of the subplasmalemmal cAMP concentration in alpha cells that correlated with changes in glucagon release. Glucose-lowering-induced stimulation of glucagon secretion thus corresponded to an elevation in cAMP that was independent of paracrine signalling from insulin or somatostatin. Imposed cAMP elevations stimulated glucagon secretion and abolished inhibition by glucose elevation, while protein kinase A inhibition mimicked glucose suppression of glucagon release. Conclusions/interpretation Glucose concentrations in the hypoglycaemic range control glucagon secretion by directly modulating the cAMP concentration in alpha cells independently of paracrine influences. These findings define a novel mechanism for glucose regulation of glucagon release that underlies recovery from hypoglycaemia and may be disturbed in diabetes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00125-019-4857-6) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

Chronic palmitate exposure impairs glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and other aspects of β-cell function, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. Using various live-cell fluorescence imaging approaches, we show here that long-term palmitate treatment influences cAMP signaling in pancreatic β-cells. Glucose stimulation of mouse and human β-cells induced oscillations of the subplasma-membrane cAMP concentration, but after 48 h exposure to palmitate, most β-cells failed to increase cAMP in response to glucose. In contrast, GLP-1–triggered cAMP formation and glucose- and depolarization-induced increases in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration were unaffected by the fatty acid treatment. Insulin secretion from control β-cells was pulsatile, but the response deteriorated after long-term palmitate exposure. Palmitate-treated mouse islets showed reduced expression of adenylyl cyclase 9, and knockdown of this protein in insulinoma cells reduced the glucose-stimulated cAMP response and insulin secretion. We conclude that impaired glucose-induced generation of cAMP is an important determinant of defective insulin secretion after chronic palmitate exposure.

SummarySpecificity and versatility in cyclic AMP (cAMP) signalling are governed by the spatial localisation and temporal dynamics of the signal. Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are important for shaping cAMP signals by hydrolyzing the nucleotide. In pancreatic b-cells, glucose triggers sub-plasma-membrane cAMP oscillations, which are important for insulin secretion, but the mechanisms underlying the oscillations are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of different PDEs in the generation of cAMP oscillations by monitoring the concentration of cAMP in the sub-plasma-membrane space ([cAMP]

The islets of Langerhans contain different types of endocrine cells, which are crucial for glucose homeostasis. β- and α-cells that release insulin and glucagon, respectively, are most abundant, whereas somatostatin-producing δ-cells and particularly pancreatic polypeptide-releasing PP-cells are more scarce. Studies of islet cell function are hampered by difficulties to identify the different cell types, especially in live-cell imaging experiments when immunostaining is unsuitable. The aim of the present study was to create a set of vectors for fluorescent protein expression with cell-type-specific promoters and evaluate their applicability in functional islet imaging. We constructed six adenoviral vectors for expression of red and green fluorescent proteins controlled by the insulin, preproglucagon, somatostatin, or pancreatic polypeptide promoters. After transduction of mouse and human islets or dispersed islet cells, a majority of the fluorescent cells also immunostained for the appropriate hormone. Recordings of the sub-plasma membrane Ca2+ and cAMP concentrations with a fluorescent indicator and a protein biosensor, respectively, showed that labeled cells respond to glucose and other modulators of secretion and revealed a striking variability in Ca2+ signaling among α-cells. The measurements allowed comparison of the phase relationship of Ca2+ oscillations between different types of cells within intact islets. We conclude that the fluorescent protein vectors allow easy identification of specific islet cell types and can be used in live-cell imaging together with organic dyes and genetically encoded biosensors. This approach will facilitate studies of normal islet physiology and help to clarify molecular defects and disturbed cell interactions in diabetic islets.

Aim cAMP typically signals downstream of Gs‐coupled receptors and regulates numerous cell functions. In β‐cells, cAMP amplifies Ca2+‐triggered exocytosis of insulin granules. Glucose‐induced insulin secretion is associated with Ca2+‐ and metabolism‐dependent increases of the sub‐plasma‐membrane cAMP concentration ([cAMP]pm) in β‐cells, but potential links to canonical receptor signalling are unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptors (GLP1Rs) for glucose‐induced cAMP signalling in β‐cells. Methods Total internal reflection microscopy and fluorescent reporters were used to monitor changes in cAMP, Ca2+ and ATP concentrations as well as insulin secretion in MIN6 cells and mouse and human β‐cells. Insulin release from mouse and human islets was also measured with ELISA. Results The GLP1R antagonist exendin‐(9‐39) (ex‐9) prevented both GLP1‐ and glucagon‐induced elevations of [cAMP]pm, consistent with GLP1Rs being involved in the action of glucagon. This conclusion was supported by lack of unspecific effects of the antagonist in a reporter cell‐line. Ex‐9 also suppressed IBMX‐ and glucose‐induced [cAMP]pm elevations. Depolarization with K+ triggered Ca2+‐dependent [cAMP]pm elevation, an effect that was amplified by high glucose. Ex‐9 inhibited both the Ca2+ and glucose‐metabolism‐dependent actions on [cAMP]pm. The drug remained effective after minimizing paracrine signalling by dispersing the islets and it reduced basal [cAMP]pm in a cell‐line heterologously expressing GLP1Rs, indicating that there is constitutive GLP1R signalling. The ex‐9‐induced reduction of [cAMP]pm in glucose‐stimulated β‐cells was paralleled by suppression of insulin secretion. Conclusion Agonist‐independent and glucagon‐stimulated GLP1R signalling in β‐cells contributes to basal and glucose‐induced cAMP production and insulin secretion.

Background: Polyglutamine diseases are degenerative diseases in the central nervous system caused by CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion which encodes polyglutamine tracts, leading to the misfolding of pathological proteins. Small peptides can be designed to prevent polyglutamine diseases by inhibiting the polyglutamine protein aggregation, for example, polyglutamine binding peptide 1(QBP1). However, the transportation capability of polyglutamine binding peptide 1 across the blood-brain barrier is less efficient. We hypothesized whether its therapeutic effect could be improved by increasing the rate of membrane penetration. Objectives: The objective of the study was to explore whether polyglutamine binding peptide 1 conjugated cell-penetrating peptides could pass through the blood-brain barrier and inhibit the aggregation of polyglutamine proteins. Methods: n order to investigate the toxic effects, we constructed a novel stable inducible PC12 cells to express Huntington protein that either has 11 glutamine repeats or 63 glutamine repeats to mimic wild type and polyglutamine expand Huntington protein, respectively. Both SynB3 and TAT conjugated polyglutamine binding peptide 1 was synthesized, respectively, and we tested their capabilities to pass through a Trans-well system and subsequently studied the counteractive effects on polyglutamine protein aggregation. Results: The conjugation of cell-penetrating peptides to SynB3 and TAT enhanced the transportation of polyglutamine binding peptide 1 across the mono-cell layer and ameliorated polyglutamine-expanded Huntington protein aggregation; moreover, SynB3 showed better delivery efficiency than TAT. Interestingly, it has been observed that polyglutamine binding peptide 1 specifically inhibited polyglutamine-expanded protein aggregation rather than affected other amyloidosis proteins, for example, β-Amyloid. Conclusion: Our study indicated that SynB3 could be an effective carrier for polyglutamine binding peptide 1 distribution through the blood-brain barrier model and ameliorate the formation of polyglutamine inclusions, thus SynB3 conjugated polyglutamine binding peptide 1 could be considered as a therapeutic candidate for polyglutamine diseases.

Platelet granule secretion plays a key role in atherothrombosis. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol compound derived from turmeric, exerts multiple biological activities. The current study sought to investigate the efficacy of tetrahydrocurcumin (THC, the major active metabolite of curcumin) on platelet granule secretion in vitro and thrombus formation in vivo. We found that THC significantly attenuated agonist-induced granule secretion in human gel-filtered platelets in vitro, including CD62P and CD63 expression and platelet factor 4, CCL5, and adenosine triphosphate release. These inhibitory effects of THC were partially mediated by the attenuation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) phosphorylation, leading to a decrease in thromboxane A2 (TxA2) generation. Moreover, the MAPK (Erk1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 MAPK) signaling pathways were downregulated by THC treatment, resulting in reduced cPLA2 activation, TxA2 generation, and granule secretion. Additionally, THC and curcumin attenuated murine thrombus growth in a FeCl3-induced mesenteric arteriole thrombosis model in C57BL/6J mice without prolonging the tail bleeding time. THC exerted more potent inhibitory effects on thrombosis formation than curcumin. Through blocking cyclooxygenase-1 activity and thus inhibiting platelet TxA2 synthesis and granule secretion with aspirin, we found that THC did not further decrease the inhibitory effects of aspirin on thrombosis formation. Thus, through inhibiting MAPKs/cPLA2 signaling, and attenuating platelet TxA2 generation, granule secretion, and thrombus formation, THC may be a potent cardioprotective agent.