Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM, type 2 diabetes) is a disorder of glucose homeostasis characterized by hyperglycaemia, peripheral insulin resistance, impaired hepatic glucose metabolism, and diminished glucose-dependent secretion of insulin from pancreatic β-cells 1 . Glucagon-like-peptide-1(7-37) (GLP-1) 2 is an intestinally derived hormone that may be useful for the treatment of NIDDM because it acts in vivo to increase the level of circulating insulin, and thus lower the concentration of blood glucose 3,4 . This therapeutic effect may result from the ability of GLP-1 to compensate for a defect in the glucose signalling pathway that regulates insulin secretion from β-cells. In support of this concept we report here that GLP-1 confers glucose sensitivity to glucose-resistant β-cells, a phenomenon we term glucose competence. Induction of glucose competence by GLP-1 results from its synergistic interaction with glucose to inhibit metabolically regulated potassium channels that are also targeted for inhibition by sulphonylurea drugs commonly used in the treatment of NIDDM 5 . Glucose competence allows membrane depolarization, the generation of action potentials, and Ca 2+ influx, events that are known to trigger insulin secretion 6,7 .GLP-1 exerts diverse insulinotropic actions on β-cells that include stimulation of cyclic AMP formation 8 , insulin secretion 9 , insulin biosynthesis and proinsulin gene expression 10 . Because all insulinotropic actions of GLP-1 are dependent on simultaneous exposure of β-cells to glucose 10,11 , GLP-1 may act as a hormonal regulator, or modulator, of the β-cell glucose signalling system. To investigate this possibility, perforated-patch 12-14 and cellattached-patch 15 recordings were obtained from solitary β-cells isolated from dispersed rat islets of Langerhans and matained in short-term primary cell culture 16 . For unknown reasons, these single, isolated β-cells exhibit reduced sensitivity to glucose as measured by glucose-induced insulin secretion 17 , electrical activity 18 or calcium signalling 19 . When perforated-patch recordings were obtained from such cells under conditions in which the bathing solution contained no glucose, the depolarizing responses to 10 mM glucose were often ⩽10-15 mV in amplitude, and glucose did not always initiate repetitive spiking activity as is frequently observed in intact islets 6 (Fig. 1a trace 1). In addition, in the absence of glucose very little change in membrane potential was recorded in response to 10 nM GLP-1 (Fig. 1a left of trace 2). In marked contrast, a 30-35 mV depolarization accompanied by repetitive spiking activity was often observed when glucose and GLP-1 were applied simultaneously ( Fig. 1a right of trace 2). This synergistic interaction indicates that GLP-1 acts in a manner analogous to that of a modulatory transmitter. It enhances the reponsiveness of β-cells to glucose, yet is without effect in the absence of glucose.
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