title: Reduced insulin secretion and content in VEGF-a deficient mouse pancreatic islets.
abstract: Mice, deficient for vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF-A in pancreatic islets, have reduced insulin gene expression levels and an impaired glucose tolerance. Here, we investigated whether VEGF-A was required for physiological glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and insulin content. We performed in situ pancreas perfusions and islet perifusions on mice lacking VEGF-A in the pancreatic epithelium in order to study their ability to secrete insulin in response to glucose. We identified insulin secretion defects in the pancreata of VEGF-A deficient mice, including a delayed and blunted response to glucose. Islet perifusion experiments revealed a missing first phase and weaker second phase of insulin secretion, in two of three VEGF-A deficient mice. On average, insulin content in VEGF-A deficient islets was significantly reduced when compared with control islets. We conclude that VEGF-A is required in pancreatic islets for normal glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and physiological insulin content. Thus, VEGF-A is a key factor for pancreatic islet function.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jabs
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gromada
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Wollheim
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lammert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D013997:Time Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D001120:Arginine; D005947:Glucose