Increasing β-cell mass requires additional stimulation for adaptation to secretory demand

Mol Endocrinol. 2015 Jan;29(1):108-20. doi: 10.1210/me.2014-1265.

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is caused by relative insulin deficiency, subsequent to both reduced β-cell mass and insufficient insulin secretion, and both augmenting β-cell mass and β-cell function are therapeutic strategies for treating T2DM. However, the relative significance of increasing β-cell mass vs improving β-cell stimulus secretion coupling remains unclear. We have developed a mouse model that allows proliferation of β-cells in adult mice without affecting β-cell function by inducible expression of the positive cell cycle regulator cyclin A2 specifically in β-cells. In these mice, when kept on a standard diet, doubling of β-cell mass does not result in altered glucose tolerance or glucose-stimulated circulating insulin levels. Notably, a doubling of β-cell mass also does not confer improved glycemic control and ability of β-cells to respond to diabetogenic high-fat diet-induced glucose intolerance. However, in high-fat diet-exposed mice, an increase in endogenous β-cell mass confers increased potentiation of in vivo glucose-stimulated rise in circulating insulin in response to acute pharmacologic treatment with the incretin glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist exendin-4. These observations indicate that increasing endogenous β-cell mass may not be sufficient to improve glycemic control in T2DM without additional strategies to increase β-cell stimulus secretion coupling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Count
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cyclin A2 / biosynthesis
  • Cyclin A2 / genetics
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / metabolism*
  • Diet, High-Fat
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor / metabolism
  • Glucose / metabolism*
  • Glucose Intolerance / metabolism
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Insulin / deficiency*
  • Insulin-Secreting Cells / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Pancreas / cytology
  • Pancreas / metabolism

Substances

  • CCNA2 protein, mouse
  • Cyclin A2
  • Glp1r protein, mouse
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor
  • Insulin
  • Glucose