Specialized Hub Beta Cells Trade Maximal Insulin Production for Perfect Timing.
The pulsatility of insulin release is disturbed early in type 2 diabetes, but it is not clear whether specialized pacemaker cells drive islet oscillations. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Johnston et al. (2016) show that specialized hubs, identified as 1%-10% of beta cells with more active mitochondria and less insulin, synchronize beta cell oscillations.
Diabetes Research Group, Life Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Jelena
J
Kolic
Diabetes Research Group, Life Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada. Electronic address: james.d.johnson@ubc.ca.
James D
JD
Johnson
D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells; D007515:Islets of Langerhans; D008928:Mitochondria
D007328:Insulin