title: Ultra-structural study of insulin granules in pancreatic β-cells of db/db mouse by scanning transmission electron microscopy tomography.
abstract: Insulin granule trafficking is a key step in the secretion of glucose-stimulated insulin from pancreatic β-cells. The main feature of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the failure of pancreatic β-cells to secrete sufficient amounts of insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels. In this work, we developed and applied tomography based on scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to image intact insulin granules in the β-cells of mouse pancreatic islets. Using three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, we found decreases in both the number and the grey level of insulin granules in db/db mouse pancreatic β-cells. Moreover, insulin granules were closer to the plasma membrane in diabetic β-cells than in control cells. Thus, 3D ultra-structural tomography may provide new insights into the pathology of insulin secretion in T2D.
authors: National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors: Yanhong
authors: Y
authors: Xue
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Zhao
authors: Wen
authors: W
authors: Du
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Gang
authors: G
authors: Ji
authors: Wang
authors: W
authors: Ying
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000473:pathology*; D055032:Electron Microscope Tomography; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D022142:Secretory Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin