SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Islet”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Defining optimal immunosuppression for islet transplantation based on reduced diabetogenicity in canine islet autografts.

BACKGROUND: The recent results of clinical islet transplantation have improved substantially with the introduction of a more potent but less diabetogenic immunosuppressant protocol. The successful development of this protocol was based in part on the outcomes of studies reported herein, addressing the diabetogenic potential of a series of immunosuppressant agents used alone or in combination in a canine islet autograft model. Although it is recognized that failure to achieve long-term insulin independence in human islet allotransplantation has been multifactorial, with low engraftment mass, acute or chronic rejection, autoimmune recurrence, loss of islet-acinar integrity, heterotopic site, denervation, and insulin resistance all being implicated to varying degrees, avoidance of diabetogenic immunosuppression has been pivotal to the enhanced outcomes of clinical islet transplantation. We here explore the effects of clinically relevant doses of cyclosporine or tacrolimus when given alone or in combination with glucocorticoids on long-term canine islet autograft function. METHOD: Dogs (n=8) underwent total pancreatectomy, islet isolation, and intrasplenic autotransplantation and were normoglycemic with stable long-term graft function 3 months to 8 years posttransplant. The frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT) was performed predrug (baseline), at 1 month of therapy (on drug), and again 1 month after withdrawal of therapy (postdrug). RESULTS: Monotherapy treatments with low- or high-dose prednisone, Neoral, or tacrolimus had minimal impact on islet autograft function. The combination of Neoral and prednisone led to a marked impairment in glucose decay (25% decline from 1.77+/-0.2 to 1.24+/-0.2, P<0.05), without significant change in insulin responsiveness or glucose effectiveness. However, insulin sensitivity was markedly impaired while on therapy (7.10+/-1.2 to 3.10+/-0.5, P<0.01). Importantly, glucose decay and insulin sensitivity failed to return to baseline after withdrawal of therapy. The combination of tacrolimus and glucocorticoids led to permanent and irreversible diabetes in all recipients (n=6, P<0.001). Similar treatment of healthy control dogs led to a 44% decrease in glucose decay (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Immunosuppression must be specifically tailored for islet transplantation and be glucocorticoid free if insulin independence is to be sustained clinically.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Antiangiogenic and immunomodulatory effects of rapamycin on islet endothelium: relevance for islet transplantation.

Donor intra-islet endothelial cells contribute to neovascularization after transplantation. Several factors may interfere with this process and ultimately influence islet engraftment. Rapamycin, a central immunosuppressant in islet transplantation, is an mTOR inhibitor that has been shown to inhibit cancer angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of rapamycin on islet endothelium. Rapamycin inhibited the outgrowth of endothelial cells from freshly purified human islets and the formation of capillary-like structures in vitro and in vivo after subcutaneous injection within Matrigel plugs into SCID mice. Rapamycin decreased migration, proliferation and angiogenic properties of human and mouse islet-derived endothelial cell lines with appearance of apoptosis. The expression of angiogenesis-related factors VEGF, alphaVbeta3 integrin and thrombospondin-1 on islet endothelium was altered in the presence of rapamycin. On the other hand, rapamycin decreased the surface expression of molecules involved in immune processes such as ICAM-1 and CD40 and reduced the adhesion of T cells to islet endothelium. Our results suggest that rapamycin exerts dual effects on islet endothelium inducing a simultaneous inhibition of angiogenesis and a down-regulation of receptors involved in lymphocyte adhesion and activation.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗

PubMed2004

Tissue factor and CCL2/monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 released by human islets affect islet engraftment in type 1 diabetic recipients.

Islet survival in the early posttransplantation period is likely to be influenced by inflammatory events in and around islets. Twenty-seven human islet preparations were transplanted by 24 infusions into 14 patients with brittle type 1 diabetes under the Edmonton protocol. Patients were monitored for their coagulation [cross-linked fibrin degradation products (XDPs)] and liver function test [aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (AST and ALT)] as markers of early posttransplant complications, and these were correlated with in vitro islet number, purification, volume, monocyte-chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2/MCP-1) and tissue factor (TF) islet release. Consistent with activation of coagulation pathways and hepatic damage, serum XDP values increased early after 11 infusions and transaminase after 13 of 24 infusions. TF and CCL2/MCP-1 were detected in supernatants of 21 and 22 islet preparations, respectively. Serum XDP peak values were correlated with TF/equivalent islets (EI) (r(2)=0.26, P = 0.001) and CCL2/MCP-1/EI (r(2) = 0.42; P < 0.001); serum transaminase areas under the curve in the first week posttransplantation were correlated with CCL2/MCP-1/EI (r(2) = 0.55; P < 0.001 for ALT and r(2) = 0.51; P = 0.001 for AST) and TF/EI (r(2) = 0.31; P = 0.002 for ALT, and r(2) = 0.36; P = 0.002 for AST). These data suggest that reducing the islet proinflammatory state may be a means to reduce the early posttransplant complications and perhaps improve islet engraftment.

Chemokine CCL2↗

PubMed2007

Human islet amyloid polypeptide oligomers disrupt cell coupling, induce apoptosis, and impair insulin secretion in isolated human islets.

Insulin secretion from the 2,000-3,000 beta-cells in an islet is a highly synchronized activity with discharge of insulin in coordinate secretory bursts at approximately 4-min intervals. Insulin secretion progressively declines in type 2 diabetes and following islet transplantation. Both are characterized by the presence of islet amyloid derived from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). In the present studies, we examined the action of extracellular human IAPP (h-IAPP) on morphology and function of human islets. Because oligomers of h-IAPP are known to cause membrane disruption, we questioned if application of h-IAPP oligomers to human islets would lead to disruption of islet architecture (specifically cell-to-cell adherence) and a decrease in coordinate function (e.g., increased entropy of insulin secretion and diminished coordinate secretory bursts). Both hypotheses are affirmed, leading to a novel hypothesis for impaired insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes and following islet transplantation, specifically disrupted cell-to-cell adherence in islets through the actions of membrane-disrupting IAPP oligomers.

Amyloid↗

PubMed1994

Pancreatic islet blood flow in the rat after administration of islet amyloid polypeptide or calcitonin gene-related peptide.

Anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats (350-400 g) were injected intravenously with either 0.1, 1, 15, or 25 nmol rat islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), 65 or 650 pmol rat calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), or saline alone. IAPP at the two highest doses decreased the mean arterial blood pressure (BP), increased blood glucose concentrations, and decreased serum insulin concentrations. CGRP at both doses decreased the BP but did not affect the blood glucose concentrations. The blood flow to the whole pancreas, pancreatic islets, adrenal glands, colon, duodenum, liver, and kidney was measured with a microsphere technique 30 min after administration of IAPP and 3 min after injection of CGRP. The two higher doses of IAPP (15 and 25 nmol) markedly reduced the whole pancreatic blood flow, whereas the islet blood flow remained unaffected. This resulted in an increase in the fraction of whole pancreatic blood flow diverted through the islets from approximately 10 to 17%. No blood flow changes in the pancreas or the islets were observed when 0.1 or 1 nmol IAPP was injected. CGRP at both doses caused a decrease in both whole pancreatic and islet blood flow. No changes in fractional islet blood flow were observed, despite similar effects on mean arterial BP as observed after IAPP injections. Neither adrenal, duodenal, colonic, hepatic, skeletal muscle, nor renal blood flow were significantly affected by any of the concentrations of IAPP used, whereas 650 pmol CGRP decreased both duodenal and colonic blood flow. We conclude that IAPP and CGRP have different effects on pancreatic islet blood flow and that IAPP may be of importance for islet blood flow regulation.

Amyloid↗

PubMed1999

Two novel immortal pancreatic beta-cell lines expressing and secreting human islet amyloid polypeptide do not spontaneously develop islet amyloid.

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by islet amyloid deposits, which are primarily composed of the amyloidogenic human form of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP, amylin). The mechanism of islet amyloido-genesis is not known, but other products (e.g., apolipoprotein E and perlecan) contained within islet amyloid may be necessary. Because rodent IAPP does not form islet amyloid, the currently available beta-cell lines are not useful for studying processes involved in amyloid formation. To develop a suitable in vitro cell system for the study of islet amyloid formation, we generated two new beta-cell lines that express the amyloidogenic human IAPP. We did this by crossbreeding human IAPP transgenic mice with RIP-Tag mice that develop islet tumors and then culturing one of these islet tumors from two separate offspring of this cross. The resultant 2350-2C0 and 2511 cell lines produce human as well as mouse IAPP-like immunoreactivity (IAPP-LI) and immunoreactive insulin (IRI). Incubation of both these cell lines with 16.7 mmol/l glucose resulted in a two- to fourfold increase in human IAPP-LI, mouse IAPP-LI, and IRI secretion compared with 1.67 mmol/l glucose and the combination of 16.7 mmol/l glucose and 10 mmol/l arginine, 0.1 mmol/l 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), and 5 micromol/l carbachol induced a >50-fold increase in the release of these peptides. The omission of calcium from the above secretagogue cocktail reduced secretion of all three peptides to only two- to sixfold higher than the 16.7 mmol/l glucose condition. Perifusion with 16.7 mmol/l glucose plus 0.1 mmol/l IBMX caused a biphasic secretion of human IAPP-LI and mouse IAPP-LI, as well as IRI, in both cell lines, with the peak of the first phase being five- to sixfold higher than the prestimulated 1.67 mmol/l glucose condition. Immunoelectron microscopic inspection of both 2350-2C0 and 2511 cells after 7 days of culture did not reveal the presence of amyloid fibrils, suggesting the need for other critical components. We conclude that we have established two novel beta-cell lines that produce and secrete human IAPP in a regulated manner. These cell lines will be a useful tool to investigate the secretion of human IAPP as well as the necessity of other components for islet amyloid formation.

Amyloid↗

PubMed2004

Activated protein C preserves functional islet mass after intraportal transplantation: a novel link between endothelial cell activation, thrombosis, inflammation, and islet cell death.

Clinical studies indicate that significant loss of functional islet mass occurs in the peritransplant period. Islets are injured as a result of detrimental effects of brain death, pancreas preservation, islet isolation, hypoxia, hyperglycemia, and immune-mediated events. In addition, recent studies demonstrated that islets are injured as a result of their exposure to blood and of activation of intrahepatic endothelial and Kupffer cells, resulting in inflammation and thrombosis. Activated protein C (APC) is an anticoagulant enzyme that also exerts anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activities by acting directly on cells. Here, we report that exogenous administration of recombinant murine APC (mAPC) significantly reduced loss of functional islet mass after intraportal transplantation in diabetic mice. Animals given mAPC exhibited better glucose control, higher glucose disposal rates, and higher arginine-stimulated acute insulin release. These effects were associated with reduced plasma proinsulin, intrahepatic fibrin deposition, and islet apoptosis early after the transplant. In vitro and in vivo data demonstrated that mAPC treatment was associated with a significant reduction of proinflammatory cytokine release after exposure of hepatic endothelial cells to islets. mAPC treatment also prevented endothelial cell activation and dysfunction elicited by intrahepatic embolization of isolated islets inherent to pancreatic islet transplantation (PIT). This study demonstrates multiple remarkable beneficial effects of mAPC for PIT and suggests that APC therapy may enhance the therapeutic efficacy of PIT in diabetic patients.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Islet amyloid development in a mouse strain lacking endogenous islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) but expressing human IAPP.

BACKGROUND: Several mouse strains expressing human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) have been created to study development of islet amyloid and its impact on islet cell function. The tendency to form islet amyloid has varied strongly among these strains by factors that have not been elucidated. Because some beta cell granule components are known to inhibit IAPP fibril formation in vitro, we wanted to determine whether a mouse strain expressing human IAPP but lacking the nonamyloidogenic mouse IAPP is more prone to develop islet amyloidosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Such a strain was created by cross-breeding a transgenic mouse strain and an IAPP null mouse strain. RESULTS: When fed a fat-enriched diet, male mice expressing only human IAPP developed islet amyloid earlier and to a higher extent than did mice expressing both human and mouse IAPP. Supporting these results, we found that mouse IAPP dose-dependently inhibits formation of fibrils from human IAPP. CONCLUSIONS: Female mice did not develop amyloid deposits, although small extracellular amorphous IAPP deposits were found in some islets. When cultivated in vitro, amyloid deposits occurred within 10 days in islets from either male or female mice expressing only human IAPP. The study shows that formation of islet amyloid may be dependent on the environment, including the presence or absence of fibril inhibitors or promoters.

Amyloid↗

PubMed2001

In vitro maturation of neonatal porcine islets: a novel model for the study of islet development and xenotransplantation.

The mechanisms involved in islet neogenesis have remained largely unexplored due to lack of an appropriate model. Furthermore, with the recent advances in islet transplantation, the need for alternative islet tissue sources is greater than ever. Therefore, the authors have refined a neonatal porcine islet (NPI) maturation model that offers an ideal tool to gain insight into islet growth as well as an alternative source of transplantable tissue. Recent knowledge in islet growth has resulted in endocrine tissue being derived from human pancreatic precursor tissue in vitro. The potential for large scale production of endocrine tissue in vitro has been indicated, however, more investigation must be done on the various signals and pathways involved in pancreatic development to optimize this technique. The authors believe that their NPI in vitro maturation model provides an ideal tool to study islet growth and maturation. Transduction of the NPI to overexpress genes of interest (i.e., PDX-1) or exposure of the NPI to various culture conditions will allow us to determine the effects on islet maturation. An understanding of NPI development gained will not only allow us to mature this unlimited tissue source for optimal xenotransplantation, but also elude to how human pancreatic endocrine precursor cells may be used to solve the current islet tissue supply problem.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The survival identification of pancreatic islets of Langerhans. In vitro and in vivo effects of two dithizone preparations on staining of rat and human islets of Langerhans-preliminary study (Part I).

Dithizone (DTZ) which selectively stains islets of Langerhans in vitro has a diagnostic potential in the in vivo identification of viable transplanted pancreatic islets. In the present study, we compared the use of DTZ, and a synthetic iodo-derivative of DTZ (I-DTZ) as a potential radioactive marker for identification of viable transplanted pancreatic islet cells. Fresh islets isolated from Lewis rat donors were transplanted beneath the kidney capsule into each diabetic syngeneic (Lewis) recipient rat. DTZ(I-DTZ) solution was injected intravenously (i.v.) at a dose 10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) for macro and microscopic identification of surviving transplanted islets. The recipients were nephrectomized to confirm that the normoglycemic state was maintained by the islet grafts. In addition, we administered i.v. at the same time concentrations of DTZ (I-DTZ) to test for toxicity. The results show that following i.v. or intraductal (i.d.) injection of low concentrations does not damage pancreatic islet function as determined by insulin secretion or glucose levels. Angiogenesis and microvascularization were observed for 10-12 days after transplantation, and the histologic and biochemical studies showed no pathological changes in injected rats in organ examined. The human pancreatic islets harvested from multiorgan donors stain red ex vivo in the same way as DTZ or I-DTZ administered i.v. in rats. The results indicate that DTZ has a diagnostic potential in monitoring the survival of transplanted pancreatic islets and possibly in the early diagnosis by radioisotopic detection of pancreatic endocrine diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Gelatinases and inhibitors of gelatinases in pancreatic islets and islet cell tumors.

Pancreatic islets contain trace amounts of zinc to form insulin dimer, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are single-chain zinc-containing metallo-enzymes. By immunocytochemically staining pancreatic tissue, which contained exocrine duct adenocarcinoma, normal islets were incidentally found positive for gelatinase-A (MMP-2) and gelatinase-B (MMP-9), and for tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 and 2 (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2). Normal islets from five pancreata were exclusively stained for two each of gelatinases and TIMPs. Twenty-two islet cell tumors were also stained for pancreatic hormones, gelatinases, and TIMPs, which included insulinomas, gastrinomas, glucagonomas, pancreatic polypeptide-omas (PPomas), and nonfunctioning tumor. In general, islet cell tumors were weakly stained for gelatinases and TIMPs, compared with normal islets in the adjacent pancreatic tissue. No clear difference in staining intensity among five kinds of islet cell tumors was observed. The selective immunolocalization of gelatinases and TIMPs in islet cells and islet cell tumors may suggest possible a structure-function relationship among zinc, gelatinases-TIMPs, and pancreatic hormones.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1996

Cyclosporin depresses pancreatic islet expression of antigens for islet cell autoantibodies in non obese diabetic mice.

An unexpected observation led us to investigate whether a short course (7 days) of oral cyclosporin (CsA) at different doses (5, 10, 20 or 40 mg/kg/day) in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice could modify the expression of islet antigens related to the autoimmune process. Analysis was performed on the last day of CsA administration, and then up to 60 days after CsA withdrawal. Antigen modulation was analysed by indirect immunofluorescence using islet-cell antibody (ICA)-positive human sera for ICA antigens, and by immunoperoxidase for glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 Kd (GAD67). Concomitantly, beta-cell function was evaluated by in vivo glucose tolerance and insulin response from isolated islets. The severity of insulitis and histological damage to islets was quantified. We measured splenocyte and thymocyte subsets by cytofluorometry (CD4+ CD8-, CD4- CD8+, and double-positive thymocytes; Thy1-2+, CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ spleen cells) and determined splenocyte mitogenesis in response to concanavalin A. Even when the lowest dose (5 mg/kg) was used, CsA concentrated in the islets. A graded reduction of ICA antigens was detected, showing no effect for 5 mg/kg/day but a significant dose-dependent reduction (P < 0.01) with 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg/day. GAD67 expression was also reduced (P < 0.03) in a CsA dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, only treatment with the highest CsA dose (40 mg/kg/day) induced glucose intolerance in vivo (P < 0.02), decreased insulin sensitivity to glucose from isolated islets (P < 0.03), reduced insulitis (P < 0.03), and altered thymocyte and splenocyte phenotypes and mitogenesis (P < 0.02). Moreover, the reversibility of the different effects was different: islet antigens were not completely recovered 2 months after CsA withdrawal, whereas other immunologic and metabolic effects obtained with the highest CsA dose were reversed within 15 days. Thus, a short course of low CsA doses in NOD mice produced a pancreatic concentration of the drug which reduced the expression of certain islet antigens for several weeks, whereas major effects on immunological parameters and islet insulin release occurred only with higher CsA doses and improved more rapidly.

Animals↗

PubMed1981

Failure of successful intrasplenic transplantation of islets from lean mice to cure obese-hyperglycaemic mice, despite islet growth.

Implantation of allogeneic pancreatic islets encapsulated in Millipore diffusion chambers has been reported to normalize the obese-hyperglycaemic syndrome in mice. In the present study, both young and adult ob/ob mice remained hyperglycaemic and gained weight after intrasplenic implantation of 500 isogeneic islets isolated from lean mice. Such islets normalized the elevated blood-glucose of alloxan-diabetic lean mice. Morphometric analysis of the intrasplenically implanted islets showed that the mean islet volume in the ob/ob mice was five times larger than that of the lean, non-diabetic mice. Immunocytochemical staining of the spleens showed an increased proportion of B-cells in the enlarged, intrasplenic islets in the ob/ob mice. Moreover, autoradiographical examination of these islets demonstrated the presence of several labelled cells. These results suggest that the growth of the implanted "lean" islets is due to extrapancreatic factors which stimulate islet cell replication in the obese-hyperglycaemic mouse.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Expression of an islet regenerating (reg) gene in isolated rat islets: effects of nutrient and non-nutrient growth factors.

The expression of a novel regenerating (reg) gene has been reported previously in the regenerating islets of a surgical model of diabetes in rats. We exposed collagenase-isolated rat islets for three days to nutrient and non-nutrient growth factors in minimally supplemented RPMI medium (2.7 mmol/l glucose, 2% fetal calf serum), and investigated the relationship between reg gene expression and islet cell replication. RNA was prepared from half of the islets by homogenisation in guanidinium isothiocyanate followed by phenol/chloroform extraction. Northern/dot blot analyses were used to semi-quantify reg mRNA. Islet cell replication was estimated by culturing the remaining islets in radiolabelled thymidine to determine de novo DNA synthesis. Thymidine uptake was stimulated by the following factors: 11 mmol/l glucose (50% increase); 10% amino acids (126% increase); 10% fetal calf serum (39% increase); 100 ng/ml insulin (45% increase); 250 ng/ml growth hormone (65% increase); 1.5 nmol/l aldosterone (29% increase); 2 U/ml platelet derived growth factor (116% increase). The results are expressed as a percentage of the thymidine incorporated into control islets cultured in minimal RPMI (1118 +/- 100 (SD) cpm/microgram protein, n = 15). Increased islet cell replication was paralleled in each case by a clear rise in reg mRNA expression compared to controls. Furthermore, the rank order for reg gene expression was the same as that for thymidine uptake (r = 0.90). The present findings suggest a clear association between reg gene expression and islet cell replication in vitro, and are the first to demonstrate reg gene expression in response to individual growth factors.

Aldosterone↗

PubMed1989

Does glyceraldehyde enter pancreatic islet metabolism via both the triokinase and the glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase reactions? A study of these enzymes in islets.

Glyceraldehyde has been known to be an insulin secretagogue for more than 15 years. It has been (reasonably) assumed that glyceraldehyde enters the glycolytic pathway via its phosphorylation by ATP to form glyceraldehyde phosphate, a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme triokinase, and that subsequent metabolism is identical to that of glucose. glucose. However, up to now there have been no studies verifying the presence of triokinase in the pancreatic beta cell. We report here that (1) the activity of triokinase in pancreatic islets is very low, indicating that the activity is intrinsically low and/or the enzyme was rapidly inactivated during the preparation of tissue for assay; (2) the activity is much lower than glucose phosphorylating activity (hexokinase plus glucokinase) in islets, even though glyceraldehyde is a more efficient insulin secretagogue than glucose; (3) glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase from pancreatic islets can use glyceraldehyde as a substrate in place of glyceraldehyde phosphate (the Vmax of glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase from islets when glyceraldehyde is the substrate is 20-fold that of triokinase when glyceraldehyde is the substrate); and (4) the Km of glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase with respect to glyceraldehyde (4.8 mM) is similar to the concentration of glyceraldehyde that gives one-half maximal rates of insulin release from pancreatic islets, whereas the Km of triokinase with respect to glyceraldehyde is much lower (less than 50 microM). These data suggest that besides stimulating insulin release in islets via its entering metabolism by phosphorylation to glyceraldehyde phosphate in the triokinase reaction, glyceraldehyde could be phosphorylated by Pi in the glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase reaction to form glycerate 1-phosphate which is probably unmetabolizable in islets. The second reaction could drastically increase the NADH/NAD ratio in islets without providing substrates for hydrogen shuttles that reoxidize cytosolic NADH. Since an increased NAD(P)H/NAD(P) ratio is believed to be a key part of the signal for insulin release, such a mechanism would explain the potent insulinotropism of glyceraldehyde in short-term experiments. In addition, the formation of unmetabolizable acids may explain the toxic effects of long-term exposure of islets to glyceraldehyde and why glyceraldehyde causes the beta cell to become acidic, whereas glucose does not.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Uvomorulin mediates calcium-dependent aggregation of islet cells, whereas calcium-independent cell adhesion molecules distinguish between islet cell types.

Rat islets of Langerhans are organized as a core of B-cells surrounded by non-B-cells. It is believed that cell type segregation during histogenesis is the result of the differential expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). Since we have previously shown that in contrast to non-B-cells, homotypic adhesion of pancreatic B-cells is dependent on the presence of Ca2+, the possibility exists that Ca(2+)-dependent CAMs (cadherins) might be in part responsible for islet topography. We now demonstrate that after selective removal of Ca(2+)-independent CAMs from the surface of islet cells by mild trypsin/Ca2+ digestion (TC-treatment), there is no significant difference in homotypic adhesion between sorted B- and non-B-cells in the presence of calcium, suggesting an identical deployment of cadherins. Flow cytometric analysis reveals high levels of uvomorulin on both B- and non-B-cells, without any difference between the two populations. On a "1 to 100" scale, B-cell aggregation in the presence of Ca2+ was decreased by anti-uvomorulin Fab fragments from 67 +/- 4 to 25 +/- 3 (mean +/- SEM, n = 4, P less than 0.01). This level is not different from the degree of B-cell aggregation seen in the presence of 0.5 mM EDTA (22 +/- 2). Aggregation of non-B-cells was only slightly decreased by anti-uvomorulin Fab fragments (from 69 +/- 3 to 52 +/- 4). However, after TC-treatment, homotypic cell aggregation of both B- and non-B-cells was completely inhibited by anti-uvomorulin Fab fragments. Thus, uvomorulin appears to be the only functional cadherin on islet cells, and cell type aggregation properties diverge only by virtue of higher levels of Ca(2+)-independent CAMs on non-B-cells. Fab fragments with the property of perturbing islet cell aggregation in the absence but not in the presence of calcium also prevented pseudoislet organization in vitro, suggesting that Ca(2+)-independent CAMs play the major role in islet cell type segregation. In conclusion, the results show that uvomorulin is responsible for the Ca(2+)-dependent aggregation of islet cells and suggest that the cellular organization within islets or pseudoislets results from the different level of Ca(2+)-independent CAMs on islet cell types.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Subcellular localization and preliminary characterization of islet hormone-degrading activities in anglerfish islet tissue.

The degradation of [125I]iodoinsulin in anglerfish islet tissue was studied in a trichloroacetic acid solubilization assay system. The pH optima for insulin breakdown by acidic and neutral enzymes were determined in fish islets and compared with mammalian tissues (rat liver, pancreas, and islets of Langerhans). Two major insulinolytic activities of anglerfish islet tissue were partially characterized: 1) An acidic (pH 3.5) activity showing marked sensitivity to pepstatin, some sensitivity to antipain, leupeptin, phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), and thiol proteinase inhibitors, but no inhibition by EDTA; and 2) a neutral (pH 7.3) activity showing marked sensitivity to thiol proteinase inhibitors, sensitivity to antipain and leupeptin, but no sensitivity to PMSF, EDTA, or pepstatin. Glucagonolytic activities were also observed at the same acidic and neutral pH optima. Following cell fractionation of anglerfish islet homogenates, acidic (pH 3.5) insulinolytic activities were distributed with the lysosome-rich, microsome, and cytosol fractions, whereas neutral (pH 7.3) activities were found chiefly in cytosol and microsomes. Little or no insulinolysis was observed in secretory granule fractions. The data suggest that insulin is degraded in islet tissue by at least two enzyme systems. Lysosomal insulinolysis was due principally to cathepsin D-like activity. Neutral insulinolysis, partially characterized in the cytosol fraction, was due to thiol proteinase activity. The activity profile indicates that islet tissue resembles other insulin-responsive tissues in its subcellular distribution of insulin-degrading activities. The cellular heterogeneity of islet tissue, and the presence of high concentrations of endogenous islet hormones require further efforts at purification before insulinolytic enzymes are fully characterized in this tissue.

Albumins↗

PubMed1998

Cloning and expression of a group IV cytosolic Ca2+-dependent phospholipase A2 from rat pancreatic islets. Comparison of the expressed activity with that of an islet group VI cytosolic Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2.

Stimulation of pancreatic islets with glucose induces phospholipid hydrolysis and accumulation of nonesterified arachidonic acid, which may play signaling or effector roles in insulin secretion. Of enzymes that catalyze phospholipid hydrolysis, islet beta-cells express low molecular weight secretory phospholipases A2 (PLA2) and a Group VI, Ca2+-independent PLA2 (iPLA2). Previous studies indicate that islets also express a protein recognized by antibodies against a Group IV, cytosolic, Ca2+-dependent PLA2 (cPLA2). To further examine the possible expression of cPLA2 by islets, we screened a rat islet cDNA library with a probe that recognizes cPLA2 sequence, and isolated a full-length cPLA2 cDNA. The rat islet cPLA2-deduced amino acid sequence is 96% identical to those of human and mouse cPLA2. Transfection of COS-7 cells with cPLA2 cDNA in an expression vector induced expression of Ca2+-dependent PLA2 activity and of a protein recognized by anti-cPLA2 antibody. Comparison of recombinant islet cPLA2 and iPLA2 activities expressed in transfected COS-7 cells indicated that iPLA2 but not cPLA2 is stimulated by ATP. Both activities are similarly sensitive to inhibition by arachidonyltrifluoromethyl ketone, but iPLA2 is more effectively inhibited by a haloenol lactone suicide substrate than cPLA2. RT-PCR experiments with RNA from purified islet beta-cells and from an alpha-cell-enriched population prepared by fluorescence-activated cell-sorting indicated that cPLA2 mRNA is more abundant in the beta-cell population. Immunoblotting analyses indicate that islets express cPLA2-immunoreactive protein, and that interleukin-1 does not affect its expression. The cPLA2 is thus one of at least three classes of PLA2 enzymes with distinct properties expressed in beta-cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗