Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1982 Dec;79(23):7322–7325. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.23.7322

Glucose-induced insulin release depends on functional cooperation between islet cells.

D Pipeleers, P I in't Veld, E Maes, M Van De Winkel
PMCID: PMC347331  PMID: 6760195

Abstract

Similar to other endocrine glands, the endocrine pancreas displays a characteristic topography of its constituent cells. The functional significance of this structural organization was examined by measuring the secretory activity of the B cell in rat islet cell preparations of different composition. Glucose released 30-fold more insulin from B cells lodged within intact islets as from purified single B cells; structurally coupled B cells and single B cells isolated with A cells or incubated with glucagon responded 4- and 2-fold, respectively, more effectively to glucose than single B cells alone. Glucose homeostasis is thus dependent not only on the number and integrity of the insulin-containing B cells but also on their interactions with neighboring B and non-B cells. This study provides direct support for the concept that the microanatomy of the islet creates the anatomical basis for functional cooperation between islet cells and hence for an appropriate glucose-induced insulin release.

Full text

PDF
7322

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALM G., HELLMAN B. DISTRIBUTION OF THE TWO TYPES OF A CELLS IN THE PANCREATIC ISLETS OF SOME MAMMALIAN SPECIES. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1964 Jun;46:307–316. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.0460307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Alberti K. G., Christensen N. J., Christensen S. E., Hansen A. P., Iversen J., Lundbaek K., Seyer-Hansen K., Orskov H. Inhibition of insulin secretion by somatostatin. Lancet. 1973 Dec 8;2(7841):1299–1301. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)92873-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Andrew R. D., MacVicar B. A., Dudek F. E., Hatton G. I. Dye transfer through gap junctions between neuroendocrine cells of rat hypothalamus. Science. 1981 Mar 13;211(4487):1187–1189. doi: 10.1126/science.7466393. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baetens D., Malaisse-Lagae F., Perrelet A., Orci L. Endocrine pancreas: three-dimensional reconstruction shows two types of islets of langerhans. Science. 1979 Dec 14;206(4424):1323–1325. doi: 10.1126/science.390711. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dubois M. P. Immunoreactive somatostatin is present in discrete cells of the endocrine pancreas. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Apr;72(4):1340–1343. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.4.1340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fletcher W. H., Anderson N. C., Jr, Everett J. W. Intercellular communication in the rat anterior pituitary gland. An in vivo and in vitro study. J Cell Biol. 1975 Nov;67(2PT1):469–476. doi: 10.1083/jcb.67.2.469. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Friend D. S., Gilula N. B. A distinctive cell contact in the rat adrenal cortex. J Cell Biol. 1972 Apr;53(1):148–163. doi: 10.1083/jcb.53.1.148. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GRODSKY G. M., BATTS A. A., BENNETT L. L., VCELLA C., MCWILLIAMS N. B., SMITH D. F. EFFECTS OF CARBOHYDRATES ON SECRETION OF INSULIN FROM ISOLATED RAT PANCREAS. Am J Physiol. 1963 Oct;205:638–644. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1963.205.4.638. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Idahl L. A., Lernmark A., Sehlin J., Täljedal I. B. The dynamics of insulin release from mouse pancreatic islet cells in suspension. Pflugers Arch. 1976 Nov 5;366(2-3):185–188. doi: 10.1007/BF00585876. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kanatsuna T., Lernmark A., Rubenstein A. H., Steiner D. F. Block in insulin release from column-perifused pancreatic beta-cells induced by islet cell surface antibodies and complement. Diabetes. 1981 Mar;30(3):231–234. doi: 10.2337/diab.30.3.231. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kawazu S., Kanazawa Y., Ikeuchi M., Hayashi M., Kosaka K. The dynamics of insulin release from monolayer-cultured pancreatic cells in a new perifusion system. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1977 Nov;156(2):197–200. doi: 10.3181/00379727-156-39905. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kohen E., Kohen C., Thorell B., Mintz D. H., Rabinovitch A. Intercellular communication in pancreatic islet monolayer cultures: a microfluorometric study. Science. 1979 May 25;204(4395):862–865. doi: 10.1126/science.35828. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lacy P. E., Finke E. H., Conant S., Naber S. Long-term perfusion of isolated rats islets in vitro. Diabetes. 1976 Jun;25(6):484–493. doi: 10.2337/diab.25.6.484. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lacy P. E., Klein N. J., Fink C. J. Effect of cytochalasin B on the biphasic release of insulin in perifused rat islets. Endocrinology. 1973 May;92(5):1458–1468. doi: 10.1210/endo-92-5-1458. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lacy P. E., Kostianovsky M. Method for the isolation of intact islets of Langerhans from the rat pancreas. Diabetes. 1967 Jan;16(1):35–39. doi: 10.2337/diab.16.1.35. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lowry P. J. A sensitive method for the detection of corticotrophin releasing factor using a perfused pituitary cell column. J Endocrinol. 1974 Jul;62(1):163–164. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.0620163. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Meissner H. P. Electrophysiological evidence for coupling between beta cells of pancreatic islets. Nature. 1976 Aug 5;262(5568):502–504. doi: 10.1038/262502a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Orci L., Baetens D., Rufener C., Amherdt M., Ravazzola M., Studer P., Malaisse-Lagae F., Unger R. H. Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of somatostatin-containing D-cells in diabetes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Apr;73(4):1338–1342. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.4.1338. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Orci L., Unger R. H., Renold A. E. Structural coupling between pancreatic islet cells. Experientia. 1973 Aug 15;29(8):1015–1018. doi: 10.1007/BF01930436. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Pipeleers D. G., Pipeleers-Marichal M. A. A method for the purification of single A, B and D cells and for the isolation of coupled cells from isolated rat islets. Diabetologia. 1981 Jun;20(6):654–663. doi: 10.1007/BF00257436. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. SAMOLS E., MARRI G., MARKS V. PROMOTION OF INSULIN SECRETION BY GLUCAGON. Lancet. 1965 Aug 28;2(7409):415–416. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(65)90761-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Unger R. H., Orci L. Glucagon and the A cell: physiology and pathophysiology (second of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1981 Jun 25;304(26):1575–1580. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198106253042604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES