Key points Tetraspanin (TSPAN) proteins regulate many biological processes, including intracellular calcium (Ca2+) handling. TSPAN‐7 is enriched in pancreatic islet cells; however, the function of islet TSPAN‐7 has not been identified. Here, we characterize how β‐cell TSPAN‐7 regulates Ca2+ handling and hormone secretion. We find that TSPAN‐7 reduces β‐cell glucose‐stimulated Ca2+ entry, slows Ca2+ oscillation frequency and decreases glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion. TSPAN‐7 controls β‐cell function through a direct interaction with L‐type voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels (CaV1.2 and CaV1.3), which reduces channel Ca2+ conductance. TSPAN‐7 slows activation of CaV1.2 and accelerates recovery from voltage‐dependent inactivation; TSPAN‐7 also slows CaV1.3 inactivation kinetics. These findings strongly implicate TSPAN‐7 as a key regulator in determining the set‐point of glucose‐stimulated Ca2+ influx and insulin secretion. Abstract Glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is regulated by calcium (Ca2+) entry into pancreatic β‐cells through voltage‐dependent Ca2+ (CaV) channels. Tetraspanin (TSPAN) transmembrane proteins control Ca2+ handling, and thus they may also modulate GSIS. TSPAN‐7 is the most abundant islet TSPAN and immunostaining of mouse and human pancreatic slices shows that TSPAN‐7 is highly expressed in β‐ and α‐cells; however, the function of islet TSPAN‐7 has not been determined. Here, we show that TSPAN‐7 knockdown (KD) increases glucose‐stimulated Ca2+ influx into mouse and human β‐cells. Additionally, mouse β‐cell Ca2+ oscillation frequency was accelerated by TSPAN‐7 KD. Because TSPAN‐7 KD also enhanced Ca2+ entry when membrane potential was clamped with depolarization, the effect of TSPAN‐7 on CaV channel activity was examined. TSPAN‐7 KD enhanced L‐type CaV currents in mouse and human β‐cells. Conversely, heterologous expression of TSPAN‐7 with CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 L‐type CaV channels decreased CaV currents and reduced Ca2+ influx through both channels. This was presumably the result of a direct interaction of TSPAN‐7 and L‐type CaV channels because TSPAN‐7 coimmunoprecipitated with both CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 from primary human β‐cells and from a heterologous expression system. Finally, TSPAN‐7 KD in human β‐cells increased basal (5.6 mM glucose) and stimulated (45 mM KCl + 14 mM glucose) insulin secretion. These findings strongly suggest that TSPAN‐7 modulation of β‐cell L‐type CaV channels is a key determinant of β‐cell glucose‐stimulated Ca2+ entry and thus the set‐point of GSIS.

Objective Elevations in pancreatic α-cell intracellular Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+ ] i ) lead to glucagon (GCG) secretion. Although glucose inhibits GCG secretion, how lactate and pyruvate control α-cell Ca 2+ handling is unknown. Lactate enters cells through monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) and is also produced during glycolysis by lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), an enzyme expressed in α-cells. As lactate activates ATP-sensitive K + (K ATP ) channels in cardiomyocytes, lactate may also modulate α-cell K ATP . Therefore, this study investigated how lactate signaling controls α-cell Ca 2+ handling and GCG secretion. Methods Mouse and human islets were used in combination with confocal microscopy, electrophysiology, GCG immunoassays, and fluorescent thallium flux assays to assess α-cell Ca 2+ handling, V m , K ATP currents, and GCG secretion. Results Lactate-inhibited mouse (75 ± 25%) and human (47 ± 9%) α-cell [Ca 2+ ] i fluctuations only under low-glucose conditions (1 mM) but had no effect on β- or δ-cells [Ca 2+ ] i . Glyburide inhibition of K ATP channels restored α-cell [Ca 2+ ] i fluctuations in the presence of lactate. Lactate transport into α-cells via MCTs hyperpolarized mouse (14 ± 1 mV) and human (12 ± 1 mV) α-cell V m and activated K ATP channels. Interestingly, pyruvate showed a similar K ATP activation profile and α-cell [Ca 2+ ] i inhibition as lactate. Lactate-induced inhibition of α-cell [Ca 2+ ] i influx resulted in reduced GCG secretion in mouse (62 ± 6%) and human (43 ± 13%) islets. Conclusions These data demonstrate for the first time that lactate entry into α-cells through MCTs results in K ATP activation, V m hyperpolarization, reduced [Ca 2+ ] i , and inhibition of GCG secretion. Thus, taken together, these data indicate that lactate either within α-cells and/or elevated in serum could serve as important modulators of α-cell function.

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a heterogeneous group of monogenic disorders of impaired pancreatic β-cell function. One of the mechanisms results from β-cell K ATP channel dysfunction (e.g., KCNJ11 (MODY13) or ABCC8 (MODY12) mutations); however, no other β-cell channelopathies have been identified in MODY. We identified a previously unreported non-synonymous coding variant in KCNK16 (NM_001135105: c.341T>C, p.Leu114Pro) segregating with MODY. KCNK16 is the most abundant and -cell-restricted K + channel transcript and encodes the two-pore-domain K + channel TALK-1. Wholecell K + currents demonstrated a large gain-of-function with TALK-1 Leu114Pro vs. WT, due to greater single channel activity. Glucose-stimulated membrane potential depolarization and Ca 2+ influx was inhibited in mouse islets expressing TALK-1 Leu114Pro (area under the Ca 2+ curve [AUC] at 20mM glucose: Leu114Pro 60.1 vs. WT 89.1; P=0.030) with less endoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ storage (cyclopiazonic acid-induced release AUC: Leu114Pro 17.5 vs. WT 46.8; P=0.008). TALK-1 Leu114Pro significantly blunted glucosestimulated insulin secretion compared to TALK-1 WT in mouse (52% decrease, P=0.039) and human (38% decrease, P=0.019) islets. These data suggest KCNK16 is a previously unreported gene for MODY.

The melastatin subfamily of the transient receptor potential channels (TRPM) are regulators of pancreatic β-cell function. TRPM7 is the most abundant islet TRPM channel; however, the role of TRPM7 in β-cell function has not been determined. Here, we utilized various spatiotemporal transgenic mouse models to investigate how TRPM7 knockout influences pancreatic endocrine development, proliferation, and function. Ablation of TRPM7 within pancreatic progenitors reduced pancreatic size, α-cell and β-cell mass. This resulted in modestly impaired glucose tolerance. However, TRPM7 ablation following endocrine specification or in adult mice did not impact endocrine expansion or glucose tolerance. As TRPM7 regulates cell proliferation, we assessed how TRPM7 influences β-cell hyperplasia under insulin resistant conditions. β-cell proliferation induced by high-fat diet was significantly decreased in TRPM7-deficient β-cells. The endocrine roles of TRPM7 may be influenced by cation flux through the channel, and indeed we find that TRPM7 ablation alters β-cell Mg2+ and reduces the magnitude of elevation in β-cell Mg2+ during proliferation. Together, these findings reveal that TRPM7 controls pancreatic development and β-cell proliferation, which is likely due to regulation of Mg2+ homeostasis.

The abundance and biological contribution of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in glioblastoma are poorly understood. Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics analyses to identify and characterize CAFs in human glioblastoma tumors and then performed functional enrichment analysis and in vitro assays to investigate their interactions with malignant glioblastoma cells. We found that CAF abundance was significantly correlated with tumor grade, poor clinical outcome, and activation of extracellular matrix remodeling, using three large databases containing bulk RNA-sequencing data and clinical information. Proteomic analysis of the CAFs and their secretome revealed fibronectin (FN1) as a strong candidate mediating CAF functions. This was validated using in vitro cellular models, which demonstrated that CAF conditioned media and recombinant FN1 could facilitate the migration and invasion of glioblastoma cells. In addition, we showed that CAFs were more abundant in the mesenchymal-like state (or subtype) than in other states of glioblastomas, while cell lines resembling the proneural-state responded to the CAF signaling better in terms of the migratory and invasive phenotypes. Investigating the in-situ expression of gene markers specifically associated with CAFs and mesenchymal malignant cells further indicated that CAFs were enriched in the perinecrotic and pseudopalisading zones of human tumors, where mesenchymal-like glioblastoma cells co-resided and thus likely interacted. Overall, this study characterized the molecular features and functional impacts of CAFs in glioblastoma, alluding to a novel cell-to-cell interaction axis mediated by CAFs in the glioblastoma microenvironment.