We have previously isolated two MIN6 beta-cell sublines, B1, highly responsive to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and C3, markedly refractory (Lilla, V., Webb, G., Rickenbach, K., Maturana, A., Steiner, D. F., Halban, P. A. and Irminger, J. C. (2003) Endocrinology 144, 1368-1379). We now demonstrate that C3 cells have substantially increased amounts of F-actin stress fibres whereas B1 cells have shorter cortical F-actin. Consistent with these data, B1 cells display glucose-dependent actin remodelling whereas, in C3 cells, F-actin is refractory to this secretagogue. Furthermore, F-actin depolymerisation with latrunculin B restores glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in C3 cells. In parallel, glucose-stimulated ERK1/2 activation is greater in B1 than in C3 cells, and is potentiated in both sublines following F-actin depolymerisation. Glucose-activated phosphoERK1/2 accumulates at actin filament tips adjacent to the plasma membrane, indicating that these are the main sites of action for this kinase during insulin secretion. In addition, B1 cell expression of the calcium-dependent F-actin severing protein gelsolin is >100-fold higher than that of C3 cells. Knock-down of gelsolin reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, whereas gelsolin over-expression potentiated secretion from B1 cells. Gelsolin localised along depolymerised actin fibres after glucose stimulation. Taken together, these data demonstrate that F-actin reorganization prior to insulin secretion requires gelsolin and plays a role in the glucose-dependent MAPK signal transduction that regulates beta-cell insulin secretion.

We have previously shown that the Ca 2؉ -dependent actinsevering protein gelsolin plays an important role in regulated insulin secretion. The aim of this study was to determine the role of gelsolin in ␤-cell survival as it has been shown to play a dual role in apoptosis in other cell types. MIN6 subclones B1 and C3, shown previously to express gelsolin at different levels (B1Ͼ ϾC3 cells), were used for this purpose. We demonstrate that B1 cells have lower levels of apoptosis and active caspase-3 when compared with C3 cells, in both standard (25 mmol/l glucose and 15% FCS) and deprived (5 mmol/l glucose and 1% FCS) conditions. Overexpression of gelsolin resulted in a decrease in the percentage of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)

The role of PIP2 in pancreatic beta cell function was examined here using the beta cell line MIN6B1. Blocking PIP2 with PH-PLC-GFP or PIP5KIγ RNAi did not impact on glucose-stimulated secretion although susceptibility to apoptosis was increased. Over-expression of PIP5KIγ improved cell survival and inhibited secretion with accumulation of endocytic vacuoles containing F-actin, PIP2, transferrin receptor, caveolin 1, Arf6 and the insulin granule membrane protein phogrin but not insulin. Expression of constitutively active Arf6 Q67L also resulted in vacuole formation and inhibition of secretion, which was reversed by PH-PLC-GFP co-expression. PIP2 co-localized with gelsolin and F-actin, and gelsolin co-expression partially reversed the secretory defect of PIP5KIγ-over-expressing cells. RhoA/ROCK inhibition increased actin depolymerization and secretion, which was prevented by over-expressing PIP5KIγ, while blocking PIP2 reduced constitutively active RhoA V14-induced F-actin polymerization. In conclusion, although PIP2 plays a pro-survival role in MIN6B1 cells, excessive PIP2 production due to PIP5KIγ over-expression inhibits secretion due to both a defective Arf6/PIP5KIγ-dependent endocytic recycling of secretory membrane and secretory membrane components such as phogrin and the RhoA/ROCK/PIP5KIγ-dependent perturbation of F-actin cytoskeleton remodeling.