Pharmacologically regulated regeneration of functional human pancreatic islets.

Transplantation of allogeneic islets can correct the metabolic abnormalities of Type I diabetes. Limited availability of donor pancreas tissues restricts the application of this therapeutic modality to a subset of eligible recipients. In an attempt to expand the utility of available donor human pancreas tissue, we developed a method to stimulate the proliferation of insulin-secreting beta-cells within human islets. A lentiviral vector was used to introduce into human islets chimeric signaling receptors that are activated to stimulate cell proliferation through interactions with a small-molecule drug called a chemical inducer of dimerization (CID). In vitro exposure of vector-transduced human islets to the CID expanded the number of cells and increased regulated insulin secretion. Transplantation of the regenerated islets into diabetic immunodeficient mice, followed by in vivo administration of the CID, corrected hyperglycemia. This strategy has the potential to reduce the quantity of human islets required for treatment of patients with Type I diabetes.     

Phosphoinositide metabolism and insulin secretion from isolated rat pancreatic islets.

Since many cell types have been shown to respond to extracellular stimulation with a rapid increase in phosphatidylinositol turnover, the present studies were undertaken to determine whether carbohydrate-stimulated insulin secretion from the isolated rat pancreatic islet is accompanied by detectable alterations in the phosphatidylinositol metabolism of this tissue. We have demonstrated that rat pancreatic islets incubated with tritiated myo-inositol rapidly incorporate radioactivity into islet phosphatidylinositol. Incubation of prelabeled islets with elevated concentrations of carbohydrates which stimulate insulin secretion (D-glucose and D-mannose) results in a decrease in the recovery of lipid-bound radioactivity, whereas incubation with carbohydrates which do not stimulate insulin secretion (D-galactose and myo-inositol) has no effect upon the recovery of lipid-bound radioactivity. Within 2 min of exposure of prelabeled islets to elevated concentrations of D-glucose, a decrease in the recovery of [2-3H]myo-inositol-derived radioactivity in islet phosphatidylinositol can be demonstrated. When islets prelabeled with [2-3H]myo-inositol are perifused with elevated concentrations of D-glucose or D-mannose (but not D-galactose or myoinositol) a rapid and transient increase in the rate of extracellular release of water-soluble radioactivity is observed. Since a significant fraction of the radioactivity released under these conditions is in the form of myo-inositol phosphate, cyclic myo-inositol-1,2-phosphate, and glycerophosphorylmyo-inositol, it is presumably derived from the cleavage of labeled islet phosphatidylinositol. It is speculated that alterations in the metabolism of myo-inositol-containing phospholipids may have a functional role in the process of insulin secretion from the pancreatic beta cell.     

Glucagon mediates arginine-induced somatostatin secretion from isolated rat pancreatic islets.

Glucagon has been suggested to be a mediator of intra-islet paracrine effect of insulin and somatostatin during nutritive stimulation. The aim of this study was to reveal possible intra-islet interactions between insulin, somatostatin and glucagon in a batch stimulation model with isolated pancreatic islets. Such interactions may influence stimulus-secretion experiments in this experimental model. In our hands arginine stimulated somatostatin secretion only in the presence of insulin antiserum. Furthermore, arginine-induced glucagon secretion was greatly increased following addition of insulin antiserum. The addition of glucagon antiserum inhibited these effects of insulin antiserum on somatostatin secretion. In conclusion, glucagon apparently represents the central mediator of arginine effects on somatostatin secretion in isolated rat pancreatic islets in batch stimulation experiments.     

Somatostatin secretion from isolated rat pancreatic islets

Certain aspects of somatostatin secretion from isolated rat pancreatic islets are described. A considerable, but falling basal secretion of somatostatin was observed in the pre-incubation periods. Both glucose and theophylline stimulation gave significant increases in somatostatin secretion, whereas carbachol inhibits the somatostatin secretion at 25 mmol l-1 glucose but not at 5 mmol l-1 glucose. The glucose effect on somatostatin secretion required a normoglycaemic pre-incubation level of 5.5 mmol l-1 glucose. Our results indicate that somatostatin secretion from isolated pancreatic islets is strongly dependent on the experimental conditions.     

Interference of glycogenolysis with glycolysis in pancreatic islets from glucose-infused rats.

When pancreatic islets isolated from rats infused for 48-72 h with a hypertonic solution of D-glucose were incubated for two successive periods of 10 min each, in the presence first of 16.7 mM and then 2.8 mM D-[U-14C]glucose, the total output of L-lactic acid during the second incubation was as high as that recorded during the first incubation, while the specific radioactivity of L-lactic acid dramatically decreased during the second incubation. In islets from normoglycemic rats, however, the total output of L-lactic acid decreased and its specific radioactivity modestly increased as the concentration of D-glucose was lowered from 16.7 to 2.8 mM. Such contrasting results indicate that in the glycogen-rich islets isolated from glucose-infused rats, the fall in extracellular D-glucose concentration was not accompanied by a parallel fall in glycolytic flux, the decreased utilization of exogenous D-[U-14C]glucose coinciding with stimulation of glycogenolysis. This unusual metabolic situation also coincided with a transient and paradoxical stimulation of insulin release in response to the decrease in extracellular D-glucose concentration. It is proposed, therefore, that the interference of glycogenolysis with glycolysis in pancreatic islets from glucose-infused rats participates in the paradoxical changes in insulin output which represent a typical feature of B-cell glucotoxicity.     

Hypoplasia of pancreatic islets in transgenic mice expressing activin receptor mutants.

Activin, a member of the TGF-beta superfamily, regulates the growth and differentiation of a variety of cell types. Based on the expression of activin in pancreatic rudiments of rat embryos and stimulation of insulin secretion from adult rat pancreatic islets by activin, activin is implicated in the development and function of islets. To examine the significance of activin signaling in the fetal and postnatal development of islets, transgenic mice expressing a dominant negative form of activin receptor (dn-ActR) or a constitutively active form of activin receptor (ActR-T206D) in islets were generated together with the transgenic mice expressing intact activin receptor (intact ActR) as a negative control. Transgenic mice with both dn-ActR and ActR-T206D showed lower survival rates, smaller islet area, and lower insulin content in the whole pancreas with impaired glucose tolerance when compared with transgenic mice with intact ActR or littermates, but they showed the same alpha cell/beta cell ratios as their littermates. In addition to islet hypoplasia, the insulin response to glucose was severely impaired in dn-ActR transgenic mice. It is suggested that a precisely regulated intensity of activin signaling is necessary for the normal development of islets at the stage before differentiation into alpha and beta cells, and that activin plays a role in the postnatal functional maturation of islet beta cells.     

Functional differences between rat islets of ventral and dorsal pancreatic origin.

Do functional linkages between islet endocrine cells exist? The effect of differences in frequency and distribution of islet endocrine cells on B cell function was examined in islets from the ventral (ventral islets) and dorsal (dorsal islets) areas of the rat pancreas. Dorsal islets contained 10 times as much glucagon as ventral islets, whereas insulin and total protein contents were similar. Basal rates of insulin secretion and proinsulin biosynthesis were similar in the two types of islet, but, under conditions of glucose stimulation, both insulin secretion and proinsulin biosynthesis were significantly greater in the glucagon-rich dorsal islets. Similarly, glucose utilization rates an ATP levels were greater in dorsal islets. In contrast, the rates of processing of newly synthesized proinsulin were similar in ventral and dorsal islets. That the islet glucagon content may have affected B cell function is inferred from two independent findings. Firstly, basal and glucose-stimulated cyclic AMP contents of glucagon-rich dorsal islets were greater than those of ventral islets. Secondly, in the presence of excess exogenous glucagon (1 microgram/ml), the differences in glucose-induced insulin secretion and proinsulin biosynthesis rates between the two types of islets were eliminated. These results strongly suggest that changes in the relative proportions of the different islet endocrine cells exert marked effects on islet function. In particular, a greater A cell and glucagon content is associated with higher rates of glucose-induced insulin secretion and biosynthesis.     

A versatile alginate droplet generator applicable for microencapsulation of pancreatic islets.

Alginate beads for immunoisolation of pancreatic islets by microencapsulation should be small, smooth, and spherical in order to ensure that around the islets a strong alginate-polylysine-alginate capsule will be formed with optimal biocompatibility and diffusion of nutrients and hormones. However, the preparation of small capsules around islets is difficult. Our newly designed air jet droplet generator allows for variations in the length and diameter of the alginate nozzle and the air jacket and is in this way adaptable to a required bead size. Alginate droplets are converted into rigid beads in a 100 mM CaCl 2 solution. Their size depends upon the diameter of the jacket, the air flow rate, and the outer diameter of the nozzle, whereas the production rate depends upon the pressure on the alginate, and on the diameter and the length of the nozzle. When the air flow or the alginate flow surpasses a certain rate, the droplets are fragmented. This study describes the mutual relationship of these variables and defines their optimal range for reproducible production of smooth and spherical beads for microencapsulation of islets at an acceptable production rate.     

Radio-immunoassay of somatostatin from isolated rat pancreatic islets

Certain aspects of radio-immunoassay of somatostatin from isolated rat pancreatic islets are described. Somatostatin-14, and not somatostatin-28, is secreted from isolated rat pancreatic islets. Less somatostatin secretion is measured per islet owing to purity of tracer in the radio-immunoassay. Theophylline apparently cross-reacts with somatostatin in the assay described, and this has to be taken into consideration when studying somatostatin release induced by theophylline in isolated islets.     

Human monoclonal autoantibodies that react with both pancreatic islets and thyroid.

Transformation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes with Epstein-Barr virus and rapid screening on rat insulinoma cells by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to identify monoclonal autoantibodies that reacted with human pancreatic islets. Six such monoclonal autoantibodies were isolated and cloned. All six also were found to react with human thyroid. It is concluded that lymphocytes able to make autoantibodies that react with both the pancreas and thyroid are common in the human B cell repertoire.     

Glucagon release from rat pancreatic islets. A combined morphological and functional approach.

The release of glucagon induced in isolated rat islets by arginine or by calcium deprivation has been subjected to combined functional and morphological quantifications. Arginine-stimulated glucagon release was associated with a significant increase of morphological events linked to exocytosis. By contrast, the paradoxical events linked to exocytosis. By contrast, the paradoxical release of glucagon provoked by calcium deprivation, although accompanied by a significant loss of granule stores, was not associated with an increase of morphologically detectable exocytosis.     

Inhibitory action of antidiuretic hormone on canine pancreatic exocrine flow.

A direct relationship was observed between the percentage inhibition of secretin-stimulated pancreatic exocrine flow and the dose of antidiuretic hormone administered with the minimal effective concentration being 0.75 m units/kg or 0.012 m units/ml. An alteration in the molecular configuration of the antidiuretic hormone modified its ability to inhibit secretin-stimulated pancreatic exocrine secretion.     

Glucose and carbachol generate 1,2-diacylglycerols by different mechanisms in pancreatic islets.

Diacylglycerols (DAG) modulate secretory responses by the activation of protein kinase C. Early changes in DAG formation induced by the muscarinic receptor agonist carbachol were compared to those caused by the nutrient secretagogue glucose in pancreatic islets. Turnover rates of DAG were investigated in radiolabeling experiments, whereas changes in total mass and fatty acid composition of DAG were assessed by gas-liquid chromatography. When islet lipids were labeled to steady state in tissue culture with [3H]glycerol, carbachol induced a rapid (10 s) and sustained increase of [3H]DAG generation. In contrast, glucose stimulation failed to increase [3H]glycerol containing DAG, and this was probably due to the isotopic dilution of the label secondary to enhanced glycolysis. This was substantiated by following the transfer of 14C from glucose into DAG. Within 1 min of acute exposure of islets to D-[U-14C]-glucose at stimulatory concentrations, DAG labeling increased fivefold representing up to 2% of total glucose usage. Similar stimulation of 14C incorporation into other neutral lipids and inositol phospholipids was observed, suggesting the enhanced de novo synthesis of phosphatidic acid, the common precursor for DAG, and inositol phospholipids from glycolytic intermediates. Transfer of 14C from glucose was not stimulated by agents such as carbachol and exogenous phospholipase C that act primarily on inositol phospholipid breakdown. The total mass of islet DAG was increased by 60% after both carbachol and glucose stimulation. However, analysis of the fatty acid composition of carbachol-generated DAG revealed at the early time point (10 s) a prevalent stearoyl-arachidonoyl configuration similar to that reported for inositol phospholipids. This pattern shifted to a DAG enriched in palmitic acid at a later time point. Glucose-stimulated islets displayed a predominance of palmitic acid containing DAG, indicating increased de novo synthesis of the putative second messenger rather than its formation by inositol phospholipid hydrolysis. Indeed, steady-state labeling of these phospholipids with [3H]inositol confirmed this idea since only carbachol caused detectable inositol phospholipid hydrolysis. Thus, although protein kinase C may be activated by both carbachol and glucose, the two secretagogues generate diacylglycerols through different mechanisms.     

胎鼠胰腺干细胞与胰岛联合移植保护胰岛

背景：胰腺干细胞可在体外维持胰岛的结构,减少胰岛细胞坏死及凋亡,延长胰岛的体外存活时间,保护胰岛的活性。 目的：探索胎鼠胰腺干细胞与胰岛共移植体内保护移植胰岛,提高胰岛移植疗效的可行性。 方法：将成年大鼠35只随机等分为联合移植组、单独胰岛移植组、单纯胰腺干细胞移植组、模型组及对照组,前4组均腹腔注射链脲佐菌素-柠檬酸盐缓冲液建立糖尿病模型。联合移植组、单独胰岛移植组、单纯胰腺干细胞大鼠分别在左侧肾包膜下移植分离纯化孕16 d SD大鼠胎鼠胰腺干细胞和/或成年SD大鼠胰岛。 结果与结论：联合移植组大鼠移植后5 d内血糖可降至正常,血浆胰岛素达到正常水平,胰岛存活时间（18.2±2.4） d;单独移植组大鼠血糖可于移植后1周内降至正常,胰岛存活时间（14.4±2.1） d;两组胰岛存活时间比较差异有显著性意义（P 〈0.05）。而其他组糖尿病大鼠血糖均未能降至正常范围。说明胎鼠胰腺干细胞与胰岛共移植可延长胰岛体内存活时间,保护胰岛功能,提高移植疗效。     

Leptin constrains acetylcholine-induced insulin secretion from pancreatic islets of ob/ob mice.

Hypersecretion of insulin from the pancreas is among the earliest detectable metabolic alterations in some genetically obese animals including the ob/ob mouse and in some obesity-prone humans. Since the primary cause of obesity in the ob/ob mouse is a lack of leptin due to a mutation in the ob gene, we tested the hypothesis that leptin targets a regulatory pathway in pancreatic islets to prevent hypersecretion of insulin. Insulin secretion is regulated by changes in blood glucose, as well as by peptides from the gastrointestinal tract and neurotransmitters that activate the pancreatic islet adenylyl cyclase (e.g., glucagon-like peptide-1) and phospholipase C (PLC) (e.g., acetylcholine) signaling pathways to further potentiate glucose-induced insulin secretion. Effects of leptin on each of these regulatory pathways were thus examined. Leptin did not influence glucose or glucagon-like peptide-1-induced insulin secretion from islets of either ob/ob or lean mice, consistent with earlier findings that these regulatory pathways do not contribute to the early-onset hypersecretion of insulin from islets of ob/ob mice. However, leptin did constrain the enhanced PLC- mediated insulin secretion characteristic of islets from ob/ob mice, without influencing release from islets of lean mice. A specific enhancement in PLC-mediated insulin secretion is the earliest reported developmental alteration in insulin secretion from islets of ob/ob mice, and thus a logical target for leptin action. This action of leptin on PLC-mediated insulin secretion was dose-dependent, rapid-onset (i.e., within 3 min), and reversible. Leptin was equally effective in constraining the enhanced insulin release from islets of ob/ob mice caused by protein kinase C (PKC) activation, a downstream mediator of the PLC signal pathway. One function of leptin in control of body composition is thus to target a PKC-regulated component of the PLC-PKC signaling system within islets to prevent hypersecretion of insulin.     

Improved detection of pancreatic islets in vivo using double contrast

The transplantation of pancreatic islets containing β‐cells, which produce insulin, is an alternative approach to the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The non‐invasive visualization of transplanted islets can be performed using MRI; however, this requires labeling of the islets with a suitable contrast agent prior to transplantation. The detection of islets labeled by iron oxide‐based contrast agents and transplanted into the liver tissue can be significantly improved using the intravenous administration of a suitable gadolinium contrast agent prior to MRI. The applied contrast agent not only improves the contrast‐to‐noise ratio, but also eliminates artifacts that may lead to an overestimation of the number of hypointense spots and their area; thus it improves the accuracy of automated and semi‐automated procedures used for transplanted islet segmentation and quantification. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.