title: Islet amyloid polypeptide-like immunoreactivity in the islet B cells of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.
abstract: A novel peptide, islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), with structural resemblance to calcitonin gene-related peptide has recently been purified from amyloid deposits in an insulinoma and from islets of Langerhans. By immunohistochemical methods, using antisera to a synthetic undecapeptide of IAPP and to insulin, we show that freshly fixed islet B cells in man, guinea pig, rat, mouse and hamster exhibit strong IAPP-immunoreactivity while A cells are unreactive. In human autopsy material, all of 11 non-diabetic individuals had IAPP immunoreactivity of the islets. In comparison 8 of the 13 patients with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes had no IAPP immunoreactive cells. The proportion of islet cells having IAPP immunoreactivity exceeded 10% in only 1 of the 5 remaining diabetic patients while in all 13 patients substantially more than 10% of the islet cells contained immunoreactive insulin. IAPP-positive amyloid deposits were found in 20-99% of the islets in 12 of the Type 2 diabetic patients while 6 of 11 non-diabetic subjects had amyloid in 3-11% of their islets. In islets with IAPP-immunoreactive amyloid, very few IAPP-cells were seen despite a strong reaction of the B cells with antiserum to insulin. This study shows that IAPP is a normal islet B cell component and that IAPP immunoreactivity in B cells is diminished in Type 2 diabetes while IAPP is deposited as amyloid fibrils in the islets of Langerhans. Although the function of IAPP is unknown, its occurrence in the islet B cells and its structural relation to calcitonin gene-related peptide makes a hormonal nature probable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Westermark
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wilander
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Westermark
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000682:Amyloid / Q000032:analysis*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007328:Insulin / Q000032:analysis; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D007328:Insulin; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide