Biomaterial Database

In vivo synchronous membrane potential oscillations in mouse pancreatic beta-cells: lack of co-ordination between islets. 1996

M Valdeolmillos, and A Gomis, and J V Sánchez-Andrés

Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alicante, Spain.

1. The properties of the oscillations in electrical activity of different beta-cells within the same islet of Langerhans, and of different islets within the same pancreas, recorded in vivo, are described. 2. Simultaneous recordings of two cells within the same islet showed that the oscillations were synchronous. A rapid increase in blood glucose led to the simultaneous appearance of a transitory phase of continuous electrical activity in both cells. These results indicate that under physiological conditions, the islets operate as a functional syncytium. 3. Simultaneous recordings of cells from two different islets within the same pancreas showed that the oscillations in the electrical activity were not synchronous, which suggests that each islet is a functionally independent unit. Rapid changes in blood glucose led to the appearance of a transitory phase of increased electrical activity in both islets, although of different duration. These results suggest that the endocrine pancreas lacks a pacemaker driving the electrical activity of all the islets. 4. The comparison of the degree of activation of different islets, simultaneously recorded at different glucose concentrations, indicated that all the islets had a similar sensitivity to glucose. Furthermore, when the glucose concentration was increased, the electrical activity in both islets increased in parallel, suggesting that the amount of insulin released due to the increase in glycaemia was produced by the simultaneous response of all the islets and not by the recruitment of islets with different sensitivities to glucose. 5. Our results predict that the synchronous electrical activity of all the cells within an islet will result in widespread intracellular calcium oscillations and pulsatile insulin secretion. The periodicity of the pulses of insulin secretion in different islets is suggested to be of slightly different length and asynchronous.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007328	Insulin	A 51-amino acid pancreatic hormone that plays a major role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, directly by suppressing endogenous glucose production (GLYCOGENOLYSIS; GLUCONEOGENESIS) and indirectly by suppressing GLUCAGON secretion and LIPOLYSIS. Native insulin is a globular protein comprised of a zinc-coordinated hexamer. Each insulin monomer containing two chains, A (21 residues) and B (30 residues), linked by two disulfide bonds. Insulin is used as a drug to control insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 1).	Iletin,Insulin A Chain,Insulin B Chain,Insulin, Regular,Novolin,Sodium Insulin,Soluble Insulin,Chain, Insulin B,Insulin, Sodium,Insulin, Soluble,Regular Insulin
D007515	Islets of Langerhans	Irregular microscopic structures consisting of cords of endocrine cells that are scattered throughout the PANCREAS among the exocrine acini. Each islet is surrounded by connective tissue fibers and penetrated by a network of capillaries. There are four major cell types. The most abundant beta cells (50-80%) secrete INSULIN. Alpha cells (5-20%) secrete GLUCAGON. PP cells (10-35%) secrete PANCREATIC POLYPEPTIDE. Delta cells (~5%) secrete SOMATOSTATIN.	Islands of Langerhans,Islet Cells,Nesidioblasts,Pancreas, Endocrine,Pancreatic Islets,Cell, Islet,Cells, Islet,Endocrine Pancreas,Islet Cell,Islet, Pancreatic,Islets, Pancreatic,Langerhans Islands,Langerhans Islets,Nesidioblast,Pancreatic Islet
D008564	Membrane Potentials	The voltage differences across a membrane. For cellular membranes they are computed by subtracting the voltage measured outside the membrane from the voltage measured inside the membrane. They result from differences of inside versus outside concentration of potassium, sodium, chloride, and other ions across cells' or ORGANELLES membranes. For excitable cells, the resting membrane potentials range between -30 and -100 millivolts. Physical, chemical, or electrical stimuli can make a membrane potential more negative (hyperpolarization), or less negative (depolarization).	Resting Potentials,Transmembrane Potentials,Delta Psi,Resting Membrane Potential,Transmembrane Electrical Potential Difference,Transmembrane Potential Difference,Difference, Transmembrane Potential,Differences, Transmembrane Potential,Membrane Potential,Membrane Potential, Resting,Membrane Potentials, Resting,Potential Difference, Transmembrane,Potential Differences, Transmembrane,Potential, Membrane,Potential, Resting,Potential, Transmembrane,Potentials, Membrane,Potentials, Resting,Potentials, Transmembrane,Resting Membrane Potentials,Resting Potential,Transmembrane Potential,Transmembrane Potential Differences
D008815	Mice, Inbred Strains	Genetically identical individuals developed from brother and sister matings which have been carried out for twenty or more generations, or by parent x offspring matings carried out with certain restrictions. All animals within an inbred strain trace back to a common ancestor in the twentieth generation.	Inbred Mouse Strains,Inbred Strain of Mice,Inbred Strain of Mouse,Inbred Strains of Mice,Mouse, Inbred Strain,Inbred Mouse Strain,Mouse Inbred Strain,Mouse Inbred Strains,Mouse Strain, Inbred,Mouse Strains, Inbred,Strain, Inbred Mouse,Strains, Inbred Mouse
D001786	Blood Glucose	Glucose in blood.	Blood Sugar,Glucose, Blood,Sugar, Blood
D004594	Electrophysiology	The study of the generation and behavior of electrical charges in living organisms particularly the nervous system and the effects of electricity on living organisms.
D000078790	Insulin Secretion	Production and release of insulin from PANCREATIC BETA CELLS that primarily occurs in response to elevated BLOOD GLUCOSE levels.	Secretion, Insulin
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus