Abnormalities in lipid metabolism have been proposed as contributing factors to both defective insulin secretion from the pancreatic beta cell and peripheral insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Previously, we have shown that prolonged exposure of isolated rat islets of Langerhans to excessive fatty acid levels impairs insulin gene transcription. This study was designed to assess whether palmitate alters the expression and binding activity of the key regulatory factors pancreas-duodenum homeobox-1 (PDX-1), MafA, and Beta2, which respectively bind to the A3, C1, and E1 elements in the proximal region of the insulin promoter. Nuclear extracts of isolated rat islets cultured with 0.5 mM palmitate exhibited reduced binding activity to the A3 and C1 elements but not the E1 element. Palmitate did not affect the overall expression of PDX-1 but reduced its nuclear localization. In contrast, palmitate blocked the stimulation of MafA mRNA and protein expression by glucose. Combined adenovirus-mediated overexpression of PDX-1 and MafA in islets completely prevented the inhibition of insulin gene expression by palmitate. These results demonstrate that prolonged exposure of islets to palmitate inhibits insulin gene transcription by impairing nuclear localization of PDX-1 and cellular expression of MafA.The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing dramatically in Western countries, in part because of the increase in obesity. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, the most frequent form of the disease, is characterized by defective insulin secretion from the pancreatic beta cells and peripheral insulin resistance. According to the lipotoxicity hypothesis, abnormalities in lipid metabolism contribute to both defects (1) and in particular to the inexorable decline of beta cell function observed during the course of the disease (2). However, the mechanisms of lipotoxicity in the beta cell remain largely unknown.In vitro, prolonged exposure to excessive concentrations of fatty acids inhibits glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (3-7) and insulin gene expression (8 -11). Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that deleterious effects of fatty acids appear mediated by distinct mechanisms; whereas inhibition of insulin secretion is observed after culture with palmitate, oleate, and other fatty acids (7), insulin gene expression is only affected by palmitate and is mediated via de novo synthesis of ceramide (11). In isolated rat islets, we have shown that palmitate markedly blunts the activation by glucose of an insulin promoter reporter construct, indicating a transcriptional mode of action (11). However, the mechanisms by which palmitate affects the insulin promoter are unknown.Both beta cell-specific expression and metabolic regulation of the insulin gene are conferred by a highly conserved region lying ϳ340 bp upstream of the transcription initiation site that constitutes the promoter/enhancer region (12-14). The main glucose-responsive elements on the insulin promoter are the highly conserved A3 (15), C1 (16), and E1 (16) sites,...

Insulin secretory dysfunction of the pancreatic ␤-cell in type-2 diabetes is thought to be due to defective nutrient sensing and/or deficiencies in the mechanism of insulin exocytosis. Previous studies have indicated that the GTP-binding protein, Rab3A, plays a mechanistic role in insulin exocytosis. Here, we report that Rab3A ؊/؊ mice develop fasting hyperglycemia and upon a glucose challenge show significant glucose intolerance coupled to ablated first-phase insulin release and consequential insufficient insulin secretion in vivo, without insulin resistance. The in vivo insulin secretory response to arginine was similar in Rab3A ؊/؊ mice as Rab3A ؉/؉ control animals, indicating a phenotype reminiscent of insulin secretory dysfunction found in type-2 diabetes. However, when a second arginine dose was given 10 min after, there was a negligible insulin secretory response in Rab3A ؊/؊ mice, compared with that in Rab3A ؉/؉ animals, that was markedly increased above that to the first arginine stimulus. There was no difference in ␤-cell mass or insulin production between Rab3A ؊/؊ and Rab3A ؉/؉ mice. However, in isolated islets, secretagogue-induced insulin release (by glucose, GLP-1, glyburide, or fatty acid) was ϳ60 -70% lower in Rab3A

Confocal imaging of GFP-tagged secretory granules combined with the use of impermeant extracellular dyes permits direct observation of insulin packaged in secretory granules, trafficking of these granules to the plasma membrane, exocytotic fusion of granules with the plasma membrane, and eventually the retrieval of membranes by endocytosis. Most such studies have been done in tumor cell lines, using either confocal methods or total internal reflectance microscopy. Here we compared these methods by using GFP-syncollin or PC3-GFP plus rhodamine dextrans to study insulin granule dynamics in insulinoma cells, normal mouse islets, and primary pancreatic beta cells. We found that most apparently docked granules did not fuse with the plasma membrane after stimulation. Granules that did fuse typically fused completely, but a few dextran-filled granules lingered at the membrane. Direct recycling of granules occurred only rarely. Similar results were obtained with both confocal and total internal reflection microscopy, although each technique had advantages for particular aspects of the granule life cycle. We conclude that insulin exocytosis involves a prolonged interaction of secretory granules with the plasma membrane, and that the majority of exocytotic events occur by full, not partial, fusion.