title: A subcellular model of glucose-stimulated pancreatic insulin secretion.
abstract: When glucose is raised from a basal to stimulating level, the pancreatic islets respond with a typical biphasic insulin secretion pattern. Moreover, the pancreas is able to recognize the rate of change of the glucose concentration. We present a relatively simple model of insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells, yet founded on solid physiological grounds and capable of reproducing a series of secretion patterns from perfused pancreases as well as from stimulated islets. The model includes the notion of distinct pools of granules as well as mechanisms such as mobilization, priming, exocytosis and kiss-and-run. Based on experimental data, we suggest that the individual beta-cells activate at different glucose concentrations. The model reproduces most of the data it was tested against very well, and can therefore serve as a general model of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Simulations predict that the effect of an increased frequency of kiss-and-run exocytotic events is a reduction in insulin secretion without modification of the qualitative pattern. Our model also appears to be the first physiology-based one to reproduce the staircase experiment, which underlies 'derivative control', i.e. the pancreatic capacity of measuring the rate of change of the glucose concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/A, 35131 Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Morten Gram
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corradin
authors.forename: Gianna M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Toffolo
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cobelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D001703:Biophysics / Q000379:methods; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005089:Exocytosis; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010179:Pancreas; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D005947:Glucose; D011188:Potassium