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Biomedical subjects

S L Howell

Publications and source records attributed to S L Howell.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Effects of Bordetella pertussis toxin on catecholamine inhibition of insulin release from intact and electrically permeabilized rat islets.

Noradrenaline- and clonidine-induced inhibition of insulin release from intact and electrically permeabilized rat islets was markedly relieved by prior exposure to 100 ng of Bordetella pertussis toxin/ml. The reversal of catecholamine inhibition of insulin secretion by this toxin was not associated with a decrease in specific binding of the alpha 2-adrenergic ligand [3H]yohimbine, and could not be fully explained by an increase in intracellular cyclic AMP. Exposure of intact islets to 1 microgram of pertussis toxin/ml for 2 h, followed by electrical permeabilization and incubation with 5 microCi of [alpha-32P]NAD+, resulted in the ADP-ribosylation in situ of a protein of molecular mass approx. 41 kDa. These results suggest that pertussis toxin alleviates catecholamine inhibition of beta-cell secretory responses by ADP-ribosylating at least one protein of molecular mass 41 kDa. In analogous systems the 41 kDa substrate of pertussis toxin has been shown to be the alpha subunit of Gi, but catecholamine-activated G proteins linked to effector systems other than adenylate cyclase might also be modified by this toxin in pancreatic beta-cells.

Adenylate Cyclase Toxin↗
PubMed1989

Translocation of protein kinase C in rat islets of Langerhans. Effects of a phorbol ester, carbachol and glucose.

In unstimulated rat islets (2 mM glucose), most of the ion-exchange purified protein kinase C (PKC) activity was associated with the cytosolic fraction. Both carbachol and phorbol myristate acetate caused a significant translocation of PKC activity from cytosolic to membrane fractions, but under the same conditions, glucose (20 mM) did not cause such a redistribution of PKC activity. PMA-induced translocation of PKC to the membrane fraction was also observed in electrically permeabilised islets, in which recovery of the enzyme activity was enhanced by buffering the intracellular Ca2+ concentration to 50 nM and supplying the permeabilised islets with protease inhibitors.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Biosynthesis and secretion of insulin.

The mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis, storage and secretion of insulin in the normal pancreatic B-cell have been the subject of intensive investigation during the last twenty years. As a result of this activity a relatively clear picture has emerged about the basic processes involved, and increasing information is available of their regulation and integration. Most of this information is derived from studies with rodent islets, but in general it appears to be applicable to the human B-cell. The article attempts to provide an overview from the vast literature on pancreatic B-cell function; it cannot be entirely comprehensive within the space available.

Calcium↗
PubMed1988

Protein phosphorylation in electrically permeabilized islets of Langerhans. Effects of Ca2+, cyclic AMP, a phorbol ester and noradrenaline.

The incorporation of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP into intracellular proteins was studied in electrically permeabilized rat islets of Langerhans. Ca2+ (10 microM), cyclic AMP (100 microM) and a protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester, phorbol 13-myristate 12-acetate (PMA; 100 nM) produced marked changes in the phosphorylation state of a number of proteins in permeabilized islets after incubation for 1 min at 37 degrees C. Ca2+ modified the effects of cyclic AMP and PMA on protein phosphorylation. Noradrenaline (10 microM) had no detectable effects on Ca2+-dependent protein phosphorylation, but significantly inhibited Ca2+-induced insulin secretion from electrically permeabilized islets. These results suggest that electrically permeabilized islets offer a useful model in which to study rapid events in protein phosphorylation as a mechanism of stimulus-secretion coupling. If the rapid Ca2+-induced effects on protein phosphorylation are involved in the control of insulin secretion, the results of this study also imply that part of the catecholamine inhibition of insulin secretion occurs at a stage in the secretory pathway beyond the activation of the regulated protein kinases.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Role of protein kinase C in arginine-induced glucagon secretion from isolated rat islets of Langerhans.

This study investigated the effect of pretreatment with the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on arginine-induced glucagon secretion. Isolated islets of Langerhans were pretreated by culturing for 18-24 h in the presence of 200 nM of the tumour-promoting phorbol ester PMA or 200 nM of the non-tumour-promoting phorbol ester 4-phorbol didecanoate (PDD). Islets pretreated with PMA did not secrete glucagon in response to 0.1 or 1 microM PMA on subsequent incubation, in contrast to PDD-pretreated islets which responded significantly on subsequent incubation with PMA. Pretreatment with PMA led to impairment of arginine-induced glucagon secretion. PMA-pretreated islets permeabilized by high-voltage discharge retained their normal secretory responses to calcium and cyclic AMP, but had an impaired secretory response to PMA. These results suggest (1) that protein kinase C (PKC) is likely to be present in the A cell, (2) that short-term culture in tumour-promoting phorbol ester leads to down-regulation of PKC, (3) that the PKC pathway is involved in arginine-induced glucagon secretion and (4) that pretreatment does not effect the A cell response to other intracellular mediators.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Role of intracellular mediators in glucagon secretion: studies using intact and electrically permeabilized rat islets of Langerhans.

The roles of calcium, cyclic AMP (cAMP), activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and the effect of ATP on glucagon secretion were investigated in intact and permeabilized rat islets of Langerhans, Ca2+ (10 nM-10 microM) stimulated glucagon secretion from electrically permeabilized islets in a dose-dependent manner. Forskolin and cAMP stimulated secretion from intact and permeabilized islets respectively, the latter at both sub-stimulatory (50 nM) and stimulatory (10 microM) Ca2+ concentrations. The tumour-promoting phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) increased secretion from both intact and permeabilized islets. In the latter, PMA increased glucagon release at both Ca2+ concentrations, the effect being enhanced at the stimulatory Ca2+ concentration, over and above that caused by Ca2+ alone. Reduction of ATP content by incubation with the metabolic inhibitor 2,4-dinitrophenol resulted in an increased basal release of glucagon from intact islets, whilst arginine-induced glucagon secretion was abolished in both intact and permeabilized islets. Ca2+-induced glucagon secretion required MgATP in the permeabilized islets of Langerhans. These results suggest that Ca2+ acts as an initiator of glucagon secretion, whilst cAMP and activation of PKC may exert their effect as modulators of secretion. ATP is required for glucagon secretion in electrically permeabilized islets and is necessary for arginine-induced glucagon secretion in both intact and permeabilized islets.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1987

A re-assessment of the role of protein kinase C in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

Isolated rat islets of Langerhans which had been pretreated with 200 nM-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 20-24 h, a treatment reported in other cell types to deplete cells of protein kinase C activity, were found not to contain detectable Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase activity. These islets did not secrete insulin in response to a subsequent exposure to PMA (0.1 or 1 microM) during a 30 min incubation, although insulin secretion could be stimulated by 20 mM-glucose, a response which was enhanced by 20 microM-forskolin. PMA-pretreated islets that had been permeabilized by high-voltage discharge showed unimpaired secretory responses to an increase in Ca2+ concentration, cyclic AMP and forskolin. These results suggest that (i) pretreatment of islets with tumour-promoting phorbol esters may be a useful means of investigating the role of protein kinase C in stimulus-secretion coupling in the pancreatic beta-cell and (ii) protein kinase C may not play an essential role in glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Chemiosmotic lysis and insulin secretion: studies of isolated granules, intact and permeabilised rat islets of Langerhans.

The possible involvement of chemiosmotic lysis of secretory granules in the exocytosis of insulin from pancreatic beta cells was investigated by comparing insulin release from isolated secretory granules, from intact islets of Langerhans, and from electrically permeabilised islets. Lysis of isolated granules was stimulated by ATP in the presence of Mg2+. ATP-induced granule lysis was pH and temperature dependent and was inhibited by collapsing the pH gradient across the granule membrane by removal of permeant anions, or by increasing the extragranular osmolarity. However, insulin secretion from intact islets in response to glucose, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor or a Ca2+ ionophore was only partially inhibited by anion replacement, while Ca2+ -induced insulin release from electrically permeabilised islets was not affected by altering the extragranular or intragranular pH. These results suggest that studies of the stability of isolated granules in vitro do not necessarily relate to insulin release from whole cells, and do not support a major role for chemiosmotic lysis of secretory granules in the exocytotic release of insulin.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1987

Catecholamine inhibition of Ca2+-induced insulin secretion from electrically permeabilised islets of Langerhans.

Noradrenaline (1-10 microM) inhibited Ca2+-induced insulin secretion from electrically permeabilised islets of Langerhans with an efficacy similar to that for inhibition of glucose-induced insulin secretion from intact islets. The inhibition of insulin secretion from permeabilised islets was blocked by the alpha 2-adrenoreceptor antagonist, yohimbine. Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) did not relieve the noradrenaline inhibition of Ca2+-induced secretion from the permeabilised islets, although noradrenaline did not affect the secretory responses to cAMP at substimulatory (50 nM) concentrations of Ca2+. These results suggest that catecholamines do not inhibit insulin secretion solely by reducing B-cell adenylate cyclase activity, and imply that one site of action of noradrenaline is at a late stage in the secretory process.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

The determination of alpha-adrenergic receptor concentration on rat pancreatic islet cells.

The selective alpha 2 adrenergic antagonist yohimbine has been shown to prevent the noradrenaline induced inhibition of insulin secretion from isolated rat islets of Langerhans. Binding studies utilizing [3H]yohimbine showed specific binding to dispersed rat islet cells with a Kd of 2.9 nM and receptor concentration of 645 fmols/mg protein. The use of chloroquine to inhibit receptor recycling did not affect binding of the ligand. Binding studies and secretion data are consistent with the suggestion that adrenergic receptors of the alpha 2 sub-type may play a dominant role in the regulation of insulin secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

A small-scale method for the isolation of insulin-containing secretory granules from islets of Langerhans.

A method has been developed which uses small-scale (400 microliter) Percoll gradients and an inexpensive bench-top microcentrifuge for the rapid isolation of insulin-containing secretory granules from islets of Langerhans available from a single rat pancreas. Granule fractions were prepared from homogenates of isolated rat islets by a differential centrifugation step (10 min) to produce a granule-enriched membrane pellet, followed by a further centrifugation (10 min) on a discontinuous Percoll gradient to produce a granule fraction. Measurement of membrane-marker enzyme activities suggested that the yield and purity of granule fractions prepared by this method were comparable to those reported for other methods involving longer centrifugation times in ultracentrifuges. Further purification of the granule fractions by removing lysosomal contamination was achieved by an additional centrifugation (10 min) on another small-scale gradient of higher Percoll concentration. The method proved useful for isolating biosynthetically labeled secretory granule membranes and contents from islets of Langerhans which had been cultured in the presence of 35S-labeled amino acids. The speed and simplicity of this method suggest that it will prove useful in studies requiring the rapid isolation of insulin-containing secretory granules from isolated islets.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Role of second messengers in the regulation of glucagon secretion from isolated rat islets of Langerhans.

The roles of diacylglycerol (DAG), cAMP and Ca2+ in mediating the stimulatory action of arginine on pancreatic A cells have been investigated using phorbol esters, forskolin, a Ca2+ ionophore and trifluoroperazine (TFP). 0.5 microM 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) which stimulated glucagon secretion by approximately 3-fold in the absence of arginine, was unable to enhance arginine-stimulated glucagon secretion. Higher concentrations (1 and 10 microM) of PMA were able to enhance glucagon secretion in the presence of 1.25, 2.5, 5 but not 10 mM arginine. Insulin secretion was enhanced by PMA under all the conditions tested. Arginine (10 and 20 mM)-stimulated secretion of glucagon and insulin were synergistically augmented by 20 microM forskolin. While the effects of forskolin plus PMA on the A cells were additive, the effects of the two agents on the B cells were synergistic. The responses of the A and B cells to arginine required extracellular Ca2+. Secretion of the two hormones was dose-dependently stimulated by A23187. Arginine-stimulated glucagon secretion but not insulin secretion, was dose-dependently inhibited by TFP. These results suggest that proposed cellular second messengers interact differently in the A and B cells, and DAG and Ca2+ may play pivotal roles in mediating the actions of arginine on the A but not B cells; cAMP may play a modulatory role in the A cell response to arginine.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Use of osmium etching procedures for studying the ultrastructure of isolated rat islets of Langerhans.

Variants of the osmium etching procedure, described by Tanaka et al. for the demonstration of the structure of organelles by scanning electron microscopy, have been utilized in studies of isolated rat islets of Langerhans. Use of a preliminary glutaraldehyde fixation followed by the osmium etching procedure originally described, allowed effective removal of the cytoplasmic ground substance, as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy. High resolution scanning electron microscopy of similar preparations permitted studies of the interaction of cytoskeletal elements with individual organelles. In particular, direct interactions of insulin storage granules with cytoskeletal elements were clearly evident.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Regulation of insulin secretion by cAMP in rat islets of Langerhans permeabilised by high-voltage discharge.

Adenosine 3',5-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) was shown to stimulate insulin secretion from electrically permeabilised islets of Langerhans incubated in Ca2+/EGTA buffers. cAMP-induced insulin secretion occurred in the presence of either sub-stimulatory (50 nM) or stimulatory (greater than 100 nM) concentrations of Ca2+. Similar effects on secretion were obtained in response to 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP) or the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Forskolin (0.2-20 microM) increased adenylate cyclase activity and enhanced insulin secretion from the permeabilised islets. These results suggest that, in electrically permeabilised islets, cAMP-induced insulin secretion is not dependent on changes in cytosolic Ca2+.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1986

The effects of polymyxin B, a protein kinase C inhibitor, on insulin secretion from intact and permeabilized islets of Langerhans.

Polymyxin B (0.01-1 mM), a polyamine antibiotic, inhibited both phorbol ester- and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from isolated rat islets of Langerhans. This inhibition was rapidly reversible. Assay of the cytosolic protein kinase C by measurement of incorporation of labelled phosphate into a histone substrate demonstrated the presence of activity in islet extracts which could be stimulated by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and inhibited by polymyxin B. These results suggest that protein kinase C plays a role in glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Enhancement of glucagon secretion from isolated rat islets of Langerhans by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate.

The phorbol ester 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), at concentrations of 0.1 microM and above, stimulated secretion of glucagon and of insulin from isolated rat islets of Langerhans incubated in the presence of 5.5 mM-glucose. Stimulation of secretion of both hormones by 1 microM-PMA persisted in the absence of external Ca2+, and could be abolished by incubating the islets at 4 degrees C. These findings suggest a role of protein kinase C in the alpha-cell (and beta-cell) secretory mechanism.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The cytoskeleton and insulin secretion.

One of the central, unresolved problems in our understanding of insulin secretion is the way in which stimulus recognition and its associated metabolic events are translated into the mechanical processes of insulin-storage granule movement and extrusion from the cells by exocytosis. In the present article we have examined the structural organization of the B-cell cytoskeleton in detail and have reviewed how drugs that affect the cytoskeleton alter insulin secretion. Available information about the interactions of tubulin, actin, myosin, and actomyosin with insulin-secretory granules is summarized, and a tentative model is proposed to explain how stimulus-effector system coupling might be achieved.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗