title: Evidence that somatostatin inhibits proinsulin synthesis and insulin release by isolated pancreatic islets of the rat.
abstract: Conflicting reports on the direction and magnitude of the effect of somatostatin on (pro)insulin synthesis prompted our investigation. Two assays for proinsulin synthesis were designed in which [4,5-3H]-L-leucine incorporation into proinsulin was normalized on the basis of postincubation insulin levels rather than on the number of islets incubated. Somatostatin at a concentration of 10 micrograms/ml inhibited 300 mg/dl glucose-stimulated proinsulin synthesis by 25% from 448 +/- 25 dpm/microunits insulin to 336 +/- 25 dpm/microunits insulin (disintegrations per minute in the proinsulin peak per microunit extractable insulin) (p less than 0.05). Glucagon (10 micrograms/ml) reversed the inhibitory effect of somatostatin on proinsulin synthesis from 336 +/- 25 dpm/microunits insulin to 480 +/- 44 dpm/microunits insulin (p less than 0.02). Somatostatin (10 micrograms/ml) had no significant effect on proinsulin synthesis in the presence of 70 mg/dl or 150 mg/dl glucose. Insulin release in 300 mg/dl glucose was inhibited 38% by 10 micrograms/ml somatostatin from 3.05 +/- 0.40 mU medium/mU tissue to 1.90 +/- 0.10 mU medium/mU tissue (p less than 0.01) over a 45-minute incubation period. These data suggest that somatostatin may act on glucose signal transduction on a level at which both insulin synthesis and secretion are affected. Further, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that cyclic AMP participates in mediating somatostatin effects on B-cell metabolism.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005934:Glucagon / Q000494:pharmacology; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011384:Proinsulin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D013004:Somatostatin; D005934:Glucagon; D011384:Proinsulin; D005947:Glucose