title: Mechanisms and physiological significance of the cholinergic control of pancreatic beta-cell function.
abstract: Acetylcholine (ACh), the major parasympathetic neurotransmitter, is released by intrapancreatic nerve endings during the preabsorptive and absorptive phases of feeding. In beta-cells, ACh binds to muscarinic M(3) receptors and exerts complex effects, which culminate in an increase of glucose (nutrient)-induced insulin secretion. Activation of PLC generates diacylglycerol. Activation of PLA(2) produces arachidonic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine. These phospholipid-derived messengers, particularly diacylglycerol, activate PKC, thereby increasing the efficiency of free cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) on exocytosis of insulin granules. IP3, also produced by PLC, causes a rapid elevation of [Ca(2+)](c) by mobilizing Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum; the resulting fall in Ca(2+) in the organelle produces a small capacitative Ca(2+) entry. ACh also depolarizes the plasma membrane of beta-cells by a Na(+)- dependent mechanism. When the plasma membrane is already depolarized by secretagogues such as glucose, this additional depolarization induces a sustained increase in [Ca(2+)](c). Surprisingly, ACh can also inhibit voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels and stimulate Ca(2+) efflux when [Ca(2+)](c) is elevated. However, under physiological conditions, the net effect of ACh on [Ca(2+)](c) is always positive. The insulinotropic effect of ACh results from two mechanisms: one involves a rise in [Ca(2+)](c) and the other involves a marked, PKC-mediated increase in the efficiency of Ca(2+) on exocytosis. The paper also discusses the mechanisms explaining the glucose dependence of the effects of ACh on insulin release.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Endocrinologie et Métabolisme, University of Louvain Faculty of Medicine, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium. gilon@endo.ucl.ac.be
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gilon
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Henquin
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D000109:Acetylcholine