title: Direct measurement of elemental distributions in insulin-producing cells using nuclear microscopy.
abstract: The nuclear microprobe was used to study elemental distributions in cultured insulin-producing cells and in pancreatic tissue. To see whether insulin producing cells are polarized, the cells were stimulated in the presence of Sr as a Ca analogue. The cells were stimulated to secrete insulin and Sr was detected in cells after momentary stimulation. We did not detect a polarized distribution of Sr in the RINm5F-cells. The distributions of Ca and Zn were affected when beta-cells (ob/ob) from a primary culture flattened out onto a substrate. In uprounded beta-cells (ob/ob) the distribution of Ca and Zn was polarized. Pancreatic tissue (ob/ob) was prepared for elemental analysis using freeze-substitution in tetrahydrofurane (THF) followed by embedding in Araldite. The resulting samples can be sectioned at room temperature, easing physiological studies.
authors.affiliation: SPM Unit, Nuclear Physics Laboratory, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palsgard
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Grime
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D010179:Pancreas / Q000737:chemistry; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000379:methods*; D013324:Strontium / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D015032:Zinc; D002118:Calcium; D013324:Strontium