| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Institute of Cell Signalling, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Medical School, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. P. A. Smith, Institute of Cell Signalling, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Medical School, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom. E-mail. paul.a.smith{at}nottingham.ac.uk.
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
O2) of isolated mouse islets and MIN6 cells, a murine-derived ß-cell line. In both models, glucose-stimulated
O2, an effect closely associated with inhibition of KATP channel activity and induction of electrical activity (r > 0.98). At 100 nM, somatostatin abolished glucose-stimulated
O2 in mouse islets (n = 5, P < 0.05) and inhibited it by 80 ± 28% (n = 17, P < 0.01) in MIN6 cells. Removal of extracellular Ca2+, 5 mM Co2+, or 20 µM nifedipine, conditions that inhibit voltage-gated Ca2+ influx, did not mimic but either blocked or reduced the effect of the peptide on
O2. The nutrient secretagogues, methylpyruvate (10 mM) and
-ketoisocaproate (20 mM), also stimulated
O2, but this was unaffected by somatostatin. Somatostatin also reversed glucose-induced hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential monitored using rhodamine-123. Application of somatostatin receptor selective agonists demonstrated that the peptide worked through activation of the type 5 somatostatin receptor. In conclusion, somatostatin inhibits glucose metabolism in murine ß-cells by an unidentified Ca2+-dependent mechanism. This represents a new signaling pathway by which somatostatin can inhibit cellular functions regulated by glucose metabolism. | Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The peptide somatostatin is universally accepted to be a ubiquitous inhibitor of stimulus-secretion coupling in a wide variety of neurons, exocrine and endocrine cells (2, 3, 4), with the inhibition of insulin secretion the most studied to date. The major source of somatostatin that affects insulin release in vivo is from enterocytes of the proximal gut; these release the long form of somatostatin (SRIF-28) into the portal circulation in response to alimentation (5). In vivo immunoneutralization studies demonstrate that the gastric release of SRIF-28 reduces postprandial release of insulin to avoid unwanted hypoglycemia and prevent decreases in insulin sensitivity of target tissues, which may result from hyperinsulinemia (5). In addition, the short form of somatostatin (SRIF-14), secreted locally from
-cells within the pancreatic islet may also have inhibitory paracrine actions on ß-cell function (6). Clinically the importance of somatostatin and its analogs are mainly in their therapeutic deployment to inhibit secretion from a wide range of neuroendocrine and exocrine tumors (4, 7, 8). For example, somatostatin and its analogs are used to inhibit the hypersecretion of insulin that occurs with insulinomas, thereby alleviating hyperinsulinemia and associated hypoglycemia (4, 8). More recently somatostatin has been used to treat the hyperinsulinemia associated with hypothalamic obesity and also primary insulin hypersecretion (7, 8), the latter a risk factor for obesity and insulin resistance. It is also becoming apparent that the pharmacology of somatostatin receptors in the ß-cell changes with age (9). Clearly pharmacological knowledge of the decretin action of somatostatin is crucial in furthering our understanding of the role and therapeutic uses of this peptide and its analogs.
To date, five somatostatin receptor types (sstr15) of the G protein-coupled superfamily have been identified, cloned, and characterized. Although widely distributed throughout the body, they are differentially expressed (2, 3, 4). Pancreatic ß-cells from mouse (10), rat (11), and human (12) islets express all five receptors subtypes. However, data from combinatorial chemical methods, immunocytochemistry, and gene knockout studies strongly support the idea that the inhibition of insulin secretion by somatostatin is mediated predominantly by sstr5 in ß-cells of mouse (6, 10, 13, 14), rat (11), and man (15).
The major mechanism by which somatostatin inhibits insulin secretion is to decrease Ca2+ influx via a pertussis toxin-sensitive hyperpolarization of the ß-cell membrane potential (10, 16, 17). This occurs via the opening of two types of K+ channel: KATP (10, 18, 19) and GIRK, a member of the G protein-regulated inward rectifier ion channel family (10, 20). Somatostatin can also inhibit insulin secretion at steps distal to Ca2+ influx: it decreases the levels of cAMP, a permissive sensitizer of insulin release (21), and it inhibits the exocytotic process via direct G protein interactions (22). However, because the inhibition of Ca2+ influx by somatostatin precedes, and precludes, these other inhibitory mechanisms and because the effect of somatostatin via ionic mechanisms has the greatest potency (10), hyperpolarization of the ß-cell membrane potential is probably the primary mechanism by which the peptide inhibits insulin secretion.
GIRK is activated by direct G protein receptor coupling (20), whereas KATP channel activity is predominantly regulated by metabolism, foremost by changes in the concentrations of intracellular adenine nucleotides (1, 23), although it too can be controlled by direct G protein receptor interactions (18). However, this latter mechanism is unlikely to account for the activation of KATP by somatostatin because direct G protein interactions with the channel are impaired when intracellular adenine nucleotide levels are similar to those associated with glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (18). An alternative, simpler explanation is that somatostatin inhibits glucose metabolism directly and that KATP channels are then activated secondary to the subsequent alterations in intracellular adenine nucleotide concentrations. In support of this idea, somatostatin has been reported to potently (EC50 < 10 nM) inhibit glucose oxidation in rat islets (24), although others have failed to confirm this observation (25). Because the inhibition of glucose oxidation is well established to activate KATP channels (1, 23), we investigated the idea that somatostatin inhibits electrical activity in murine ß-cells via direct affects on glucose metabolism. To do this, we used polarography to evaluate oxidative respiration (26, 27), fluorescence techniques to monitor the mitochondrial events (28, 29), and electrophysiology to monitor the associated plasma membrane electrical events (10).
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
-cells located within the islet mantle; and 3) large numbers of islets are required. To overcome these problems, we also used the endogenous, insulin-secreting, mouse pancreatic ß-cell line MIN6 (30), which provided large numbers of cells homogenous in phenotype and free from paracrine influences. MIN6 cells were used with the permission of Prof. Jun-Ichi Miyazaki (Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan) (31). Cells were grown in RPMI 1640 tissue culture media containing 11 mM glucose, 12.5 mM HEPES, and 10% fetal calf serum, kept at 37 C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2-95% air.
O2 consumption
The O2 consumption of islets or MIN6 ß-cell suspensions of known cell density was measured polarographically using Clark oxygen electrodes (Rank Brothers, Bottisham UK). The partial pressure of O2 (PO2) was measured at a polarographic voltage of 0.6 V with electrodes previously calibrated at 100% air saturation (vigorous gassing with air,
0.25 mM) and 0% (addition of Na2S2O4). All additions were made from stocks in H2O. The control for metabolic substrate addition was 3-O-methyl-glucose (MOG), a metabolically inactive analog of glucose (32). The control for peptide addition was vehicle alone. The rate of oxygen consumption (
O2), was measured as the change in PO2 level over a 300-sec period; given that most changes were linear, this is the slope of PO2. For metabolic substrates or Ca2+ channel antagonists, the slope was measured 360 sec after reagent addition, whereas for somatostatin and its receptor agonists, to avoid tachyphylaxis, 60 sec after addition of the drug.
Mitochondrial membrane potential (
mit)
To monitor the inner membrane 
mit we used rhodamine-123 (Rh-123) as previously described (28). Cells were loaded with 50 µg/ml1 Rh-123 in RPMI 1640 (11 mM glucose) at 37 C for 10 min. The dye was excited at 480 nm and the emitted fluorescence monitored at 530 nm. It is well established that this cationic lipophilic dye is predominantly localized to mitochondria. Depolarization of 
mit, which would, for example, occur with uncoupling or blocking of mitochondrial respiration, results in the redistribution of the dye across the inner membrane with an associated increase in fluorescence, whereas an increased flux through the mitochondrial respiratory electron transport chain is associated with a decrease in fluorescence (see Fig. 4
) (28, 29).
|
).
To mirror the experimental conditions used for the metabolic measurements as closely as possible, KATP channel activity was derived from the current clamp records without recourse to voltage-clamp measurements. If the membrane conductances that contribute to the passive Vm are assumed Ohmic, then the conductance associated with KATP channel activity (GATP) can be estimated from equation 1
:
![]() | (1) |
Solutions
To permit integration with previously published electrophysiological data, all experiments were carried out at 32 C in a modified Hanks solution that contained (in millimoles): 5.6 KCl, 138 NaCl, 4.2 NaHCO3, 1.2 NaH2PO4, 2.6 CaCl2, 1.2 MgCl2, 10 HEPES (pH 7.4 with NaOH), and 0.1% (wt/vol) BSA. For nominally Ca2+-free solutions, CaCl2 was replaced by equimolar substitution with MgCl2 (total Mg2+ = 3.8 mM, free Ca2+
10 µM).
SRIF-14 and SRIF-28 were from Peninsula Laboratories (St. Helens, UK), whereas CH-275, BIM-23027, BIM-, L-362, 855, and NNC-26, 9100 were purchased from commercial suppliers of synthetic peptides. The structural integrity and molecular weight of the peptides were confirmed by M@LDI mass spectroscopy (J. Kyte, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham). All other drugs and reagents were purchased from Sigma (Poole, UK) or Fluka (Buchs, Switzerland).
Glucose-response relationships
The glucose-response relationships were quantified by best fits of the data with the following equation:
![]() |
Statistics
Unless stated otherwise for statistical comparison of two-sample populations, Wilcoxon signed rank test was used; for multiple comparisons, Kruskal-Wallis test was used with Dunns multiple comparison posttest. These procedures were performed using PRISM 3 (GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA). Data statistics are given as means ± SEM, with n as the number of preparations given in parentheses. EC50 and h values are quoted with 95% confidence intervals. Correlation coefficients are Pearson. Statistical significance is defined as P < 0.05 and in graphics is flagged as *, when P < 0.01 data are flagged with ** and when P < 0.001 data are flagged with ***.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
O2 increased by approximately 63% and approximately 80%, respectively (Fig. 1
O2 in both islets and MIN6 cells (Fig. 1
O2 was greater than that stimulated by the sugar, indicative of inhibition of the basal respiration. The inhibitory effect of the peptide was sustained for at least 10 min, the longest period tested. In control experiments, addition of H2O the vehicle for somatostatin was either without effect or slightly stimulated
O2 (Figs. 1B
O2 (Fig. 1
|
|
|
O2 in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 of 0.27 mM (0.210.33 mM) and h of 1 (Fig. 5D
-ketoisocaproate (20 mM), a fuel that feeds directly into the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) (34), stimulated
O2 by amounts approaching that produced by 20 mM glucose (Fig. 2A
O2 stimulated by either of these two alternative mitochondrial substrates (Fig. 2D
O2 stimulated by glucose concentrations less than 5 mM (Fig. 2D
O2 in cell suspensions that failed to respond to glucose.
|
O2. Under conditions in which Ca2+ influx was impaired by Co2+ or nifedipine, 100 nM SRIF-14 still inhibited
O2 (Fig. 2
O2.
cAMP dependency of oxygen consumption and its inhibition by somatostatin
To investigate whether a decrease in cytoplasmic cAMP concentration is involved in the inhibition of O2 consumption by somatostatin, the effect of the peptide was explored in cells preincubated with the stable membrane-permeable cAMP analog 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-CPT). Incubation in 50 µM 8-CPT, a concentration that also inhibits cAMP-specific phosphodiesterases, did not change
O2 (5.3 ± 1.4, compared with 4.6 ± 1.1 nmol 107 cells1 min1 in control, n = 10). 8-CPT did not affect the ability of SRIF-14 to inhibit the
O2 stimulated by glucose: 100 nM SRIF-14 inhibited
O2 by 50 ± 10% to 2.4 ± 0.7 nmol 107 cells1 min1 in the presence of 8-CPT (P < 0.05 repeated-measure ANOVA), compared with 49 ± 13% inhibition in vehicle alone (n = 9).
Identification of somatostatin receptor subtype
All five sstr subtypes have been identified in murine pancreatic ß-cells, including MIN6 cells (3, 10). Figure 3E
shows that L-362, 855, a partial agonist at the sstr5 (36, 37), partly mimicked the action of SRIF-14 (n = 17). L-362, 855 inhibited
O2 by 51%, an effect less pronounced than that produced by SRIF-14 (81% Fig. 2
, D and E). CH-275, BIM-23056, BIM-23027, and NNC-26, 9100, specific agonists at the sstr1 (38), sstr2/3 (37, 39), sstr3 (37, 39), and sstr4 (40), respectively, were all without effect on
O2 (n = 1213; Fig. 2E
).
Oxygen consumption by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate [NAD(P)H] oxidase and its inhibition by somatostatin
Figure 3
shows that SRIF-14 had no effect on
O2 in the combined presence of glucose and azide. Application of 0.5 mM apocynin, an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidase, significantly decreased
O2 by 72 ± 4% (n = 7, Fig. 3D
), an amount greater than that produced by 0.5% (vol/vol) (70 µM) dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), the vehicle control (25 ± 5%, n = 8, Fig. 3C
), although the difference between these effects was insignificant. The block produced by 100 nM SRIF-14 in the presence of apocynin (12 ± 7%, n = 7) was less than that produced in the presence of vehicle alone (34 ± 8%, n = 8); however, this difference was insignificant. The final overall block of
O2 was similar in both cases: 84 ± 5%, with 0.5 mM apocynin plus 100 nM SRIF-14 (n = 7), and 59 ± 11%, with 70 µM DMSO plus 100 nM SRIF-14 (n = 8). Addition of 1 µM diphenyleneiodonium chloride, a nonselective inhibitor of flavoproteins, which include NAD(P)H oxidases, abolished
O2 (Fig. 3B
).
Effect of glucose and somatostatin on 
mit
Addition of 5 mM glucose to MIN-6 cells, previously incubated for 20 min in the absence of exogenous metabolic substrate, produced a sustained decrease in Rh-123 fluorescence (Fig. 4A
). The effect was complete with 1 min of sugar addition and amounted to an approximately 20% drop in fluorescence (Fig. 4B
), a result consistent with the redistribution and subsequent quench of the dye that occurs with its accumulation by energized mitochondria (28, 29). Addition of 100 nM SRIF-14 in the maintained presence of glucose led to a partial reversal of the change in Rh-123 fluorescence produced by the sugar. This effect was slower than that elicited by glucose, with the maximum change observed approximately 2 min after addition of the peptide, which amounted to 38 ± 8% inhibition of the glucose-sensitive change in Rh-123 fluorescence (n = 6). Subsequent addition of 1 µM CCCP resulted in an approximately 100% increase in Rh-123 fluorescence (Fig. 4B
), a result consistent with the redistribution and loss of quenching of the dye that occurs with the collapse of 
mit produced by this protonophoric uncoupler of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (28).
Electrophysiology
Elevation of glucose from 0 to 10 mM depolarized the Vm and evoked Ca2+-dependent action potential activity; the latter event is well established to promote Ca2+ influx (1, 16). In the presence of 10 mM glucose, 100 nM SRIF-14, 3 mM azide, 20 µM nifedipine, or removal of extracellular Ca2+ all abolished the action potential activity induced by the sugar and, with the exception of the dihydropyridine, hyperpolarized the membrane potential (data not shown): electrophysiological changes associated with a decrease in Ca2+-influx and insulin-secretion (1, 16).
The steady-state relationships among the concentration of glucose, Vm, Rin, and the whole-cell conductance of KATP (GATP) are explored in Fig. 5
. Glucose depolarized Vm with an EC50 of 1.3 mM (0.91.7 mM) and a slope coefficient, h, of 1.2 (0.91.7, solid line, Fig. 5A
). This effect was mirrored by a parallel increase (r = 1, P < 0.0001) in the Rin; EC50 of 1.4 mM glucose (0.53.7 mM), and h of 1.0 (0.41.7, Fig. 5B
, solid line). Of the 21 ß-cells that depolarized in response to glucose, 17 depolarized sufficiently to reach the voltage threshold for action potentials (50 ± 2 mV, n = 17) and evoke electrical activity. In these cells, electrical activity was elicited at a median glucose concentration of 2.5 mM (13.4, 95% confidence limits). The relationship between glucose concentration and the percentage of cells that responded with electrical activity is drawn in Fig. 5C
: EC50 of 1.2 mM glucose (0.91.5 mM) and h of 1.8 (1.12.6, Fig. 5C
, solid line).
As expected from Rin, GATP decreased with increased glucose concentration (Fig. 5D
). The relationship of GATP with glucose concentration (closed symbols) closely mirrored that obtained for the rate of O2 consumption (open symbols): EC50 of 0.3 mM (0.20.4 mM) and h of 1.8 (0.62.9, Fig. 5D
, solid line). The close correlation between GATP and the rate of O2 consumption is supported by the clear inverse linear relationship (r > 0.98, P < 0.0001) that exists between these two variables (Fig. 5E
).
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
O2 stimulated by glucose concentrations that evoke electrical activity and stimulate insulin secretion in both mouse islets and murine-derived ß-cells. These findings support and corroborate the original observation made in rat islets (24). One possible reason for the failure of others (25) to confirm this observation in rat may be simply explained by the small sample size employed in that study (i.e. n = 3).
Substrate dependency of O2 consumption
The 2-fold stimulation in the rate of O2 consumption produced by 20 mM glucose for both ß-cell models are comparable with that previously demonstrated for MIN6 cells (27) and ß-cells within intact rodent islets (26, 41). Indeed the absolute values for O2 consumption stimulated by 20 mM glucose are comparable with those already published: 10 pmol O2 islet1 min1, compared with approximately 4 pmol O2 islet1 min1 for rat islets (41) and 510 nmol O2 107 cell1 min1, compared with approximately 10 nmol O2 107 cell1 min1 for MIN6 (27). Assuming an islet possesses approximately 1000 ß-cells, then 20 mM glucose stimulates O2 consumption by approximately 40 nmol O2 107 cell1 min1, an amount similar to that measured for the cell line. Methylpyruvate and
-ketoisocaproate are insulinotropes metabolized predominantly within the mitochondria via the TCA cycle (33, 34). They are thought to act via the same metabolic mechanism engaged by the stimulus-secretion pathway of glucose: generation of ATP and closure of KATP with the resultant electrical activity and insulin secretion (1, 33, 34), an idea supported here in MIN6 by the ability of these substrates to stimulate oxidative respiration (41, 42), with
-ketoisocaproate also known to stimulate insulin secretion in MIN6 cells (43).
The EC50 for glucose-stimulated
O2 (0.27 mM) is substantially less than that measured for mouse islets: 8 mM (42). The phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate is well established to be the key rate-limiting step for the use of the sugar and subsequent stimulus-secretion cascade for insulin release in the pancreatic ß-cell (44, 45). In native ß-cells, phosphorylation occurs predominantly via a low-affinity glucokinase (Km
510 mM). Consequently many events of the stimulus-secretion pathway for insulin in native ß-cells possess EC50 values for glucose around 510 mM (42, 44, 45, 46). The low millimolar values we obtained for the EC50s of various steps within the stimulus-secretion pathway in MIN6 suggest that the activity of a high-affinity hexokinase (Km
0.3 mM) predominates over that of glucokinase (43), an idea supported by the increased sensitivities to glucose for the inhibition of GATP and excitation of electrical activity, compared with those found in native mouse ß-cells [0.29 vs.3.2 mM (44) and 1.2 vs. 11.5 mM (46), respectively]. Nevertheless, the marked correlation observed among the stimulation of O2 consumption, inhibition of GATP, and induction of electrical activity by glucose strongly supports the idea that oxidation of the sugar in MIN6 results in closure of the KATP channel like that occurring in native ß-cells (1, 44, 46). The inhibition of basal respiration by 3-O-methyl-D-glucose was surprising, given that this glucose analog is not thought to be metabolized; however, our finding is consistent with its known adverse affect on ß-cell metabolism at low glucose concentrations (32).
Ca2+ dependence of O2 consumption and its inhibition by SRIF-14
Whether extracellular Ca2+ affects glucose metabolism in pancreatic ß-cell is disputable; some studies report effects on respiration (47) and glucose oxidation (35), whereas others do not (41). We found blockade of Ca2+ influx did not affect O2 consumption and did not mimic the effect of SRIF-14. However, the subsequent inhibition of
O2 by the peptide was abolished in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ and was reduced when voltage-gated Ca2+ influx was blocked with Co2+ or nifedipine. These data suggest that the mechanism by which the peptide decreases
O2 is not secondary to, but requires, Ca2+ influx; with the associated increase in cytosolic Ca2+ a permissive factor, an idea supported by the fact that SRIF-14 was most effective at glucose concentrations that elicited electrical activity and voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx (cf. Figs. 2D
and 5C
). Because somatostatin had no effect on
O2 stimulated by the mitochondrial fuels, methylpyruvate or
-ketoisocaproate, SRIF-14 must inhibit metabolism at a step/s before the TCA cycle. The observation that SRIF-14 inhibited basal respiration only when it was already suppressed by the presence of 20 mM 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, suggests that the molecular action of the peptide may also involve the presence and/or transport of hexose.
The inability of somatostatin to affect
O2 stimulated by the mitochondrial fuels refutes the idea that the effect of the peptide is due to changes in the respiratory control of oxidative phosphorylation: changes that arise from the inhibition of secretion previously stimulated by these substrates and the resultant attenuation in energy demand (48). Because we also show that somatostatin depolarizes 
mit in the presence of glucose, these data similarly refute the idea that the decrease in
O2 produced by the peptide is due to the drop in the energetic requirements of the ß-cell that results from the associated inhibition of the exocytotic process. In fact, the increase in the cytosolic ATP to ADP ratio that is predicted on inhibition of the exocytotic process is expected to inhibit KATP channel activity and promote polarization of 
mit (29), neither of which are seen; instead the opposite is observed with the peptide (Ref.10 and present study, respectively). Overall the Rh-123 data further support the notion that the peptide directly inhibits oxidative phosphorylation at some unknown step before the TCA cycle.
The inability of 8-CPT, a stable membrane-permeable cAMP analog, to affect the inhibition of
O2 caused by somatostatin refutes the idea that a decrease in cytosolic cAMP (21) is involved in this particular effect of the peptide. In fact, decreases in cAMP levels are classically associated with stimulation, not inhibition, of glucose catabolism. The identity of the molecular target/s for this inhibitory action of somatostatin on glucose stimulated
O2 remain/s unknown.
The pharmacological profile that was observed for the inhibition of
O2 by the sstr-selective analogs is consistent with the peptide prosecuting its affects solely through binding to sstr5, the same receptor isoform that mediates activation of the KATP channel (10) and inhibition of insulin secretion in mouse (6, 10, 13, 14), rat (11), and man (15). The observation that neither NNC-26, 9100 nor CH-275, agonists specific for the sstr4 and sstr1, respectively, affected
O2 rules out participation of these receptor subtypes in the inhibition of
O2 by the peptide. Furthermore, the inability of BIM-23027 and BIM-23056, agonists more potent at the sstr2 and sstr3 than L-362, 855 (39), to inhibit
O2 argues against an involvement of these receptor subtypes. The limited ability of L-362, 855 to mimic the effect of SRIF-14 is consistent with its action as a partial agonist at sstr5 (36).
Oxygen consumption NAD(P)H oxidase and its inhibition by somatostatin
The observation that azide did not always abolish O2 consumption necessitates an additional mechanism of O2 reduction in addition to that attributed to the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Reduction and consumption of O2 can also occur by NAD(P)H oxidase activity and superoxide production. RT-PCR and Western blotting have identified a range of NAD(P)H oxidase isoforms expressed within pancreatic islet tissue. Of these, the p47PHOX isoform is predominantly expressed by the pancreatic ß-cell at the plasma membrane (49, 50). The observation that apocynin, an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidases, did not significantly decrease
O2, compared with vehicle control (DMSO), does not appear to support the idea that some
O2 is via activity of this particular enzyme. However, such an interpretation of these data must be treated with caution because DMSO is itself an antioxidant, which may affect NAD(P)H oxidase activity; a fact that confounds whether this enzyme contributes to
O2. Also, the finding that somatostatin could still inhibit the remaining
O2 after the effects of apocynin suggests that the peptide inhibits
O2 by mechanism/s other that that involving NAD(P)H oxidase activity. Furthermore, because the blockade of mitochondrial reduction of O2 by azide, which increases the availability of NAD(P)H for oxidation by NAD(P)H oxidases, did not enhance the effect of somatostatin on
O2 but in fact abolished it, also suggests that the peptide does not affect NAD(P)H oxidase activity. The observation that diphenyleneiodonium chloride, an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidases, abolished
O2 is attributed to its action as a potent inhibitor of most flavoproteins, which includes complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory electron transport chain. Together, these data do not readily support an involvement of NAD(P)H oxidases in either O2 consumption of pancreatic ß-cells or the effect of somatostatin on
O2.
Physiological implications
The inhibition of glucose metabolism by somatostatin is expected to decrease cytosolic ATP of the ß-cell and contribute to the pleiotropic inhibitory mechanisms of the peptide on insulin secretion. Unfortunately, due to compartmentalization of ATP within the ß-cell, this idea is difficult to test directly (51); however, the very fact that the activity of KATP channels reflects intracellular nucleotide levels lends strong support to the above idea (1, 23). In addition to the observed activation of KATP channels (10, 19), a decrease in cytosolic ATP is expected to inhibit both Ca2+ channel activity and exocytosis, processes in the ß-cell enhanced by glucose metabolism (52, 53) but also inhibited by somatostatin (54), although these may also involve direct G protein pathways. Involvement of a direct G protein pathway in the activation of the KATP channel by somatostatin is unlikely because direct activation of KATP by G-proteins is impaired when intracellular ATP is elevated to levels that are associated with glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (18). Consequently the inhibition of metabolism by somatostatin is a simple mechanism to explain the activation of KATP channels by the peptide that occurs during glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Whether such a similar simple mechanism operates in other cell types in which KATP is activated by somatostatin, e.g. in pituitary gonadotrophs (55) and CA3 hippocampal neurons (56), remains to be tested.
In conclusion, we have described a novel Ca2+-dependent signaling mechanism, namely a decrease in glucose metabolism, which enables somatostatin via activation of sstr5 to inhibit insulin secretion from the murine pancreatic ß-cell at a step early in its stimulus-secretion coupling cascade.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
First Published Online December 15, 2005
Abbreviations: CCCP, Carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone; 8-CPT, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate; DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide; GATP, KATP channel activity; GIRK, member of the G protein-regulated inward rectifier ion channel family; KATP, ATP-sensitive K+-channels; 
mit, mitochondrial membrane potential; MOG, 3-O-methyl-glucose; NAD(P)H, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate;
O2, O2 consumption; PO2, partial pressure of O2; Rh-123, rhodamine-123; Rin, input resistance of the cell; SRIF-14, short form of somatostatin; SRIF-28, long form of somatostatin; sstr, somatostatin receptor; TCA, tricarboxylic acid cycle; Vm, membrane potential.
Received July 12, 2005.
Accepted for publication December 1, 2005.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
and ß cells to somatostatin. Diabetologia 32:207212[CrossRef][Medline]
-ketoisocaproate sensing in pancreatic ß-cells. Endocrinology 144:19491957
s proteins. Br J Pharmacol 126:12211229[CrossRef][Medline]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||