Summary. Antigens on the rat pancreatic islet cell surface were redistributed into patch and cap formation when the cells were incubated in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine, in tissue culture medium 199 for 24 h, before addition of rat pancreatic islet cell surface antibody. In contrast, if the cells were cultured in tissue culture medium 199 supplemented with glucose (5.5 or 16.7retool/I) and 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum without 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine, cap formation was not detectable. These results suggest that mobile antigen on the surface of pancreatic B cells can be induced to aggregate into patch and cap formations during conditions of increased cellular metabolism.Key words: Rat, islet cell surface antigen, immunobeads, patch and cap formation.The possibility that immunological reactions may be involved in the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes has been supported by the demonstration of islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies [1,2] and islet cell surface antibodies (ICSA) [3] in the sera from insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies and ICSA are most prevalent at the onset of the disease and decrease thereafter [4]. The role of these antibodies in the pathogenesis of diabetes and the nature of the antigens are still unknown.Scanning electron microscopy has proved to be a useful technique for studying cell surface architecture and has gained wide application in cell biology. The surface architecture of the islet cell was found to change showing an increased number of villi or blebs after incubation in the presence of a high concentration of glu-The present investigation was designed to study the binding of antibodies to rat pancreatic islet cell surface antigen and the effect of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine (IBMX) on the distribution of antigen using scanning electron microscopy and visualizing bound antibodies with immunobeads or indirect immunofluorescence.
Materials and Methods
Preparation of Dispersed Islet CellsAdult rat pancreatic islets were prepared under sterile conditions by collagenase digestion of the pancreas [6]. Islets were separated from the digests by discontinuous Ficoll gradient centrifugation, and washed by repeated low speed centrifugation in tissue culture medium 199 (TCM 199), before being selected individually by micropipette. The islets were placed in TCM 199 (10 ml) with IBMX (0.1 retool/l), collagenase (30mg), hyarulonidase (20 mg) and ethyleneglycol-bis-(flaminoethyl ether) N, N'-tetra acetic acid (1.0 mmol/1) for 30 rain at 37 ~ in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 95% air. The islet suspensions were then kept for 24 h in plastic petri dishes containing TCM 199, further supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum, penicillin (400 U/ml), glucose (5.5 mmol/1) and IBMX (0.1 mmol/1) [7]. Finally, after resuspension in TCM 199 the islets were disrupted into free cells by mechanical shaking. The dispersed cells were washed by centrifugation in Krebs-Ringer-H...