title: Regulation of calcium in pancreatic α- and β-cells in health and disease.
abstract: The glucoregulatory hormones insulin and glucagon are released from the β- and α-cells of the pancreatic islets. In both cell types, secretion is secondary to firing of action potentials, Ca(2+)-influx via voltage-gated Ca(2+)-channels, elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) and initiation of Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis. Here we discuss the mechanisms that underlie the reciprocal regulation of insulin and glucagon secretion by changes in plasma glucose, the roles played by different types of voltage-gated Ca(2+)-channel present in α- and β-cells and the modulation of hormone secretion by Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent processes. We also consider how subtle changes in Ca(2+)-signalling may have profound impact on β-cell performance and increase risk of developing type-2 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK. patrik.rorsman@ocdem.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rorsman
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D005934:Glucagon / Q000378:metabolism*; D050416:Glucagon-Secreting Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D020239:Receptor Cross-Talk
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D007328:Insulin; D005934:Glucagon; D002118:Calcium