title: Do oscillations of insulin secretion occur in the absence of cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations in beta-cells?
abstract: That oscillations of the cytoplasmic free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in beta-cells induce oscillations of insulin secretion is not disputed, but whether metabolism-driven oscillations of secretion can occur in the absence of [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations is still debated. Because this possibility is based partly on the results of experiments using islets from aged, hyperglycemic, hyperinsulinemic ob/ob mice, we compared [Ca(2+)](i) and insulin secretion patterns of single islets from 4- and 10-month-old, normal NMRI mice to those of islets from 7- and 10-month-old ob/ob mice (Swedish colony) and their lean littermates. The responses were subjected to cluster analysis to identify significant peaks. Control experiments without islets and with a constant insulin concentration were run to detect false peaks. Both ob/ob and NMRI islets displayed large synchronous oscillations of [Ca(2+)](i) and insulin secretion in response to repetitive depolarizations with 30 mmol/l K(+) in the presence of 0.1 mmol/l diazoxide and 12 mmol/l glucose. Continuous depolarization with high K(+) steadily elevated [Ca(2+)](i) in all types of islets, with no significant oscillation, and caused a biphasic insulin response. In islets from young (4-month-old) NMRI mice and 7-month-old lean mice, the insulin profile did not show significant peaks when [Ca(2+)](i) was stable. In contrast, two or more peaks were detected over 20 min in the response of most ob/ob islets. Similar insulin peaks appeared in the insulin response of 10-month-old lean and NMRI mice. However, the size of the insulin peaks detected in the presence of stable [Ca(2+)](i) was small, so that no more than 10-13% of total insulin secretion occurred in a pulsatile manner. In conclusion, insulin secretion does not oscillate when [Ca(2+)](i) is stably elevated in beta-cells from young normal mice. Some oscillations are observed in aged mice and are seen more often in ob/ob islets. These fluctuations of the insulin secretion rate at stably elevated [Ca(2+)](i), however, are small compared with the large oscillations induced by [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations in beta-cells.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Endocrinologie et Métabolisme, University of Louvain Faculty of Medicine, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lise L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Kjems
authors.forename: Magalie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ravier
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Henquin
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008820:Mice, Obese; D010507:Periodicity; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium