Calcium signaling in the islets

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2010:654:235-59. doi: 10.1007/978-90-481-3271-3_11.

Abstract

Easy access to rodent islets and insulinoma cells and the ease of measuring Ca(2+) by fluorescent indicators have resulted in an overflow of data that have clarified minute details of Ca(2+) signaling in the rodent islets. Our understanding of the mechanisms and the roles of Ca(2+) signaling in the human islets, under physiological conditions, has been hugely influenced by uncritical extrapolation of the rodent data obtained under suboptimal experimental conditions. More recently, electrophysiological and Ca(2+) studies have elucidated the ion channel repertoire relevant for Ca(2+) signaling in the human islets and have examined their relative importance. Many new channels belonging to the transient receptor potential (TRP) family are present in the beta-cells. Ryanodine receptors, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate channel, and Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release add new dimension to the complexity of Ca(2+) signaling in the human beta-cells. A lot more needs to be learnt about the roles of these new channels and CICR, not because that will be easy but because that will be difficult. Much de-learning will also be needed. Human beta-cells do not have a resting state in the normal human body even under physiological fasting conditions. Their membrane potential under physiologically relevant resting conditions is approximately -50 mV. Biphasic insulin secretion is an experimental epiphenomenon unrelated to the physiological pulsatile insulin secretion into the portal vein in the human body. Human islets show a wide variety of electrical activities and patterns of [Ca(2+)](i) changes, whose roles in mediating pulsatile secretion of insulin into the portal vein remain questionable. Future studies will hopefully be directed toward a better understanding of Ca(2+) signaling in the human islets in the context of the pathogenesis and treatment of human diabetes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Calcium Signaling*
  • Diabetes Mellitus / metabolism
  • Electrophysiology / methods
  • Humans
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • Insulin-Secreting Cells / cytology
  • Islets of Langerhans / metabolism*
  • Membrane Potentials
  • Models, Biological
  • Oscillometry
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Insulin
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
  • Calcium