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Hyperinsulinism of infancy: the regulated release of insulin by KATP channel-independent pathways.

Hyperinsulinism of infancy (HI) is a congenital defect in the regulated release of insulin from pancreatic beta-cells. Here we describe stimulus-secretion coupling mechanisms in beta-cells and intact islets of Langerhans isolated from three patients with a novel SUR1 gene defect. 2154+3 A to G SUR1 (GenBank accession number L78207) is the first report of familial HI among nonconsanguineous Caucasians identified in the U.K. Using patch-clamp methodologies, we have shown that this mutation is associated with both a decrease in the number of operational ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) in beta-cells and impaired ADP-dependent regulation. There were no apparent defects in the regulation of Ca2+- and voltage-gated K+ channels or delayed rectifier K+ channels. Intact HI beta-cells were spontaneously electrically active and generating Ca2+ action currents that were largely insensitive to diazoxide and somatostatin. As a consequence, when intact HI islets were challenged with glucose and tolbutamide, there was no rise in intracellular free calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) over basal values. Capacitance measurements used to monitor exocytosis in control and HI beta-cells revealed that there were no defects in Ca2+-dependent exocytotic events. Finally, insulin release studies documented that whereas tolbutamide failed to cause insulin secretion as a consequence of impaired [Ca2+]i signaling, glucose readily promoted insulin release. Glucose was also found to augment the actions of protein kinase C- and protein kinase A-dependent agonists in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. These findings document the relationship between SUR1 gene defects and insulin secretion in vivo and in vitro and describe for the first time KATP channel-independent pathways of regulated insulin secretion in diseased human beta-cells.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Glibenclamide opens ATP-sensitive potassium channels in Xenopus oocyte follicular cells during metabolic stress.

Follicular cells from Xenopus oocytes offer a particularly interesting system to study ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels). In these cells, as in many other cell types, glibenclamide is a classical blocker of KATP channels. Metabolic inhibition with dinitrophenol (DNP) converts this inhibitory effect into an activation. Follicular cells treated with DNP keep their sensitivity to the KATP channel opener P1060, but this opening effect becomes insensitive to glibenclamide inhibition. Glibenclamide activation of KATP channels in DNP-treated follicular cells occurs with an EC50 of 3 microM. Glibenclamide activation is antagonized by blockers of KATP channels that do not belong to the sulfonylurea family, such as U-37883A, tedisamil, and LH 35. Other sulfonylureas display the same activating behavior as does glibenclamide in DNP-treated cells. Two of the properties of KATP channels in follicular cells are activation by cAMP through protein kinase A and inhibition by muscarinic effectors through protein kinase C activation. The stimulating effects of cAMP and glibenclamide in DNP-treated cells seem to be synergistic as are the cAMP and P1060 effects in control follicular cells. Glibenclamide-activated KATP channels in DNP-treated cells (conductance of 15 pS) are also inhibited by acetylcholine and by phorbol esters. The internal acidosis produced by metabolic exhaustion with DNP appears to be the key element in the conversion of glibenclamide from a blocker to an activator of KATP channels.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Voltage dependent inhibition of ATP sensitive potassium channels by flecainide in guinea pig ventricular cells.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the effects of flecainide, a class Ic antiarrhythmic drug, on the ATP sensitive potassium channel (KATP channel) current in guinea pig ventricular cells, using the inside-out patch clamp technique. METHODS: KATP channel activities were recorded from inside-out membrane patches with 140 mM KCl solution bathing both the external and internal surfaces of the membrane (20-22 degrees C). Flecainide was added to the intracellular medium (ATP-free, pH = 7.3). RESULTS: Flecainide (1-300 microM) inhibited the outward KATP channel current evoked at the holding potential of +40 mV, in a concentration dependent manner. The flecainide concentration for half maximum inhibition of the channel activity (IC50) and Hill coefficient of the flecainide inhibition were estimated to be 17.3 microM and 1.1, respectively. However, flecainide did not affect the inwardly directed KATP channel current measured at the potential of -40 mV. When the inhibitory effects of flecainide on the outward current were examined under conditions in which pH was decreased from 7.3 (control) to 6.8, the IC50 and Hill coefficient became 27.3 microM and 1.2, respectively. Furthermore, in the presence of 0.1 mM ADP on the cytosolic side of the membrane (pH = 7.3), flecainide blocked the outward currents with the IC50 of 47.0 microM and a Hill coefficient of 0.9. After 1 min exposure of the cytoplasmic side of the membrane to trypsin (1 mg.ml-1), glibenclamide (2 microM) did not inhibit the KATP channel currents, while flecainide (30 microM) reversibly inhibited this trypsin enhanced KATP channel activity. CONCLUSIONS: Flecainide at relatively high concentrations blocks the cardiac KATP channels only when the currents are directed outward, and in a concentration dependent manner. The potency of flecainide in blocking KATP channels decreased under conditions of increased H+ or ADP concentrations on the cytosolic side of the membrane, as may occur in myocardial ischaemia or hypoxia.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Impaired glucose sensitivity of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in pancreatic beta-cells in streptozotocin-induced NIDDM rats.

ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) are known to play a key role in the cellular mechanism of insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells. In order to examine the possible impairment of KATP channel function in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), we have studied the properties of the KATP channels in single beta cells of neonatally streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (NSZ rats) using the patch-clamp technique. The unitary conductance of the channel in diabetic beta-cells was virtually identical to that in control beta cells and there was no difference in the sensitivity to ATP and glibenclamide of KATP channels between the NIDDM and control groups. In response to glucose, the activity of the KATP channels was diminished in a dose-dependent manner in both control and diabetic cells. However, the inhibition of the KATP channels in beta-cells of NSZ rats was significantly less than that in control cells. Even in the presence of 11.1 mM glucose, the openings of a few single KATP channels were consistently observed in cell-attached patch membranes of diabetic, but not control, beta-cells. Thus, it appears that the impaired insulinotropic action of glucose in beta-cells in NSZ rats is associated with a reduced sensitivity of the KATP channel to glucose, but not to ATP, presumably due to a deficiency in glucose metabolism.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Roles of ATP-sensitive K+ channels as metabolic sensors: studies of Kir6.x null mice.

ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) are present in various tissues, including pancreatic beta-cells, heart, skeletal muscles, vascular smooth muscles, and brain. KATP channels are hetero-octameric proteins composed of inwardly rectifying K+ channel (Kir6.x) and sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) subunits. Different combinations of Kir6.x and SUR subunits comprise KATP channels with distinct electrophysiological and pharmacological properties. Recent studies of genetically engineered mice have provided insight into the physiological and pathophysiological roles of Kir6.x-containing KATP channels. Analysis of Kir6.2 null mice has shown that Kir6.2/SUR1 channels in pancreatic beta-cells and the hypothalamus are essential in glucose-induced insulin secretion and hypoglycemia-induced glucagon secretion, respectively, and that Kir6.2/SUR2 channels are involved in glucose uptake in skeletal muscles. Kir6.2-containing KATP channels in brain also are involved in protection from hypoxia-induced generalized seizure. In cardiovascular tissues, Kir6.1-containing KATP channels are involved in regulation of vascular tonus. In addition, the Kir6.1 null mouse is a model of Prinzmetal angina in humans. Our studies of Kir6.2 null and Kir6.1 null mice reveal that KATP channels are critical metabolic sensors in acute metabolic changes, including hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, ischemia, and hypoxia.

Animals↗

Early increases in renal kallikrein secretion on administration of potassium or ATP-sensitive potassium channel blockers in rats.

1 This study aimed to examine whether administration of potassium or ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP channel) blockers caused early increases in renal kallikrein (KK) secretion. To clarify this mechanism, the effect on renal KK secretion of a KATP channel blocker was compared with the effect resulting from use of an osmotic diuretic or volume load. Furthermore, the effect on potassium-induced increases in renal KK secretion by an additional treatment using a KATP channel blocker was examined. Lastly, the effect of a KATP channel blocker on renal KK secretion was also examined in superfused slices of kidney cortex. 2 Intravenous infusion of potassium augmented renal KK secretion within 30 min while urine volume increased gradually in both the potassium loading and control groups. 3 Administration of the KATP channel blocker, 4-morpholinecarboximidine-N-1-adamantyl-N'-cyclohexylhydr ochloride (PNU-37883A) or glibenclamide, caused a dose-dependent increase in renal KK secretion. 4 The concentration of KK in urine was higher in the PNU-37883A group as compared to the osmotic-diuretic or volume-load group. 5 PNU-37883A had no additive effect on the potassium-induced increase in renal KK secretion. 6 Renal KK secretion increased in slices of kidney cortex incubated with PNU-37883A within 10 min of superfusion. 7 In conclusion, administration of both potassium and KATP channel blockers induced early increases in renal KK secretion in the absence of the washout phenomenon. Potassium loading may have increased renal KK secretion through the same mechanism as the KATP channel blocker.

Adamantane↗

Inhibition of ATP-sensitive K+ channels of mouse skeletal muscle by disopyramide.

Single ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) were studied in inside-out membrane patches excised from mouse skeletal muscle. The class Ia antiarrhythmic, disopyramide (5-100 microM), applied to the cytoplasmic membrane surface inhibited KATP channels at -40 and +40 mV. Channel inhibition by disopyramide started slowly and reached an almost stationary level within 1 min. Recovery from channel inhibition by disopyramide was incomplete. At pH 7.4, the disopyramide concentrations producing 50% channel inhibition were 8.1 microM at -40 mV and 7.1 microM at +40 mV. The Hill coefficients of the concentration-response curves were close to unity at both potentials. Raising the internal pH from 7.4 to 8.0 had no significant effect on the actions of disopyramide, but lowering the pH to 6.5 greatly potentiated the inhibition of KATP channels by the antiarrhythmic. Thus the open probabilities of KATP channels at -40 mV and in the presence of disopyramide (20 microM) were smaller by a factor of 18 at pH 6.5 than at pH 7.4. The results suggest that disopyramide interacts with KATP channels through the lipid phase of the membrane and that lowering the intracellular pH increases the affinity of KATP channels to disopyramide. Thus disopyramide at therapeutic concentrations (6-15 microM) affects muscular KATP channels, in particular at reduced intracellular pH values that occur under ischaemic conditions and during fatiguing exercise.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Cell-type specific expression of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in the rat hippocampus.

1. The distribution of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) was investigated in four cell types in hippocampal slices prepared from 10- to 13-day-old rats: CA1 pyramidal cells, interneurones of stratum radiatum in CA1, complex glial cells of the same area and granule cells of the dentate gyrus. The neuronal cell types were identified visually and characterized by the shapes and patterns of their action potentials and by neurobiotin labelling. 2. The patch-clamp technique was used to study the sensitivity of whole-cell currents to diazoxide (0.3 mM), a KATP channel opener, and to tolbutamide (0.5 mM) or glibenclamide (20 microM), two KATP channel inhibitors. The fraction of cells in which whole-cell currents were activated by diazoxide and inhibited by tolbutamide was 26% of pyramidal cells, 89 % of interneurones, 100% of glial cells and 89% of granule cells. The reversal potential of the diazoxide-induced current was at the K+ equilibrium potential and a similar current activated spontaneously when cells were dialysed with an ATP-free pipette solution. 3. Using the single-cell RT-PCR method, the presence of mRNA encoding KATP channel subunits (Kir6.1, Kir6.2, SUR1 and SUR2) was examined in CA1 pyramidal cells and interneurones. Subunit mRNA combinations that can result in functional KATP channels (Kir6.1 together with SUR1, Kir6.2 together with SUR1 or SUR2) were detected in only 17% of the pyramidal cells. On the other hand, KATP channels may be formed in 75% of the interneurones, mainly by the combination of Kir6.2 with SUR1 (58% of all interneurones). 4. The results of these combined analyses indicate that functional KATP channels are present in principal neurones, interneurones and glial cells of the rat hippocampus, but at highly different densities in the four cell types studied.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Modulation of the excitability of cholinergic basal forebrain neurones by KATP channels.

The expression of ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channels by magnocellular cholinergic basal forebrain (BF) neurones was investigated in thin brain slice and dissociated cell culture preparations using a combination of whole-cell, perforated-patch and single-channel recording techniques. Greater than 95% of BF neurones expressed functional K(ATP) channels whose activation resulted in membrane hyperpolarization and a profound fall in excitability. The whole-cell K(ATP) conductance was 14.0 +/- 1.5 nS and had a reversal potential of -91.4 +/- 0.9 mV that shifted by 59.6 mV with a tenfold increase in [K(+)](o). I(KATP) was inhibited reversibly by tolbutamide (IC(50) of 34.1 microM) and irreversibly by glibenclamide (0.3-3 nM) and had a low affinity for [ATP](i) (67% reduction with 6 mm[MgATP](i)). Using perforated-patch recording, a small proportion of the conductance was found to be tonically active. This was weakly potentiated by diazoxide (0.1 mm extracellular glucose) but insensitive to pinacidil (< or =500 microM). Single-channel K(ATP) currents recorded in symmetrical 140 mm K(+)-containing solutions exhibited weak inward rectification with a mean conductance of 66.2 +/- 1.9 pS. Channel activity was inhibited by MgATP (>50 microM) and activated by MgADP (200 microM). The K(+) channels opener diazoxide (200-500 microM) increased channel opening probability (NP(o)) by 486 +/- 120% whereas pinacidil (500 microM) had no effect. In conclusion, the characteristics of the K(ATP) channels expressed by BF neurones are very similar to channels composed of SUR1 and Kir6.2 subunits. In the native cell, their affinity for ATP is close to the resting [ATP](i), potentially allowing them to be modulated by physiologically relevant changes in [ATP](i). The effect of these channels on the level of ascending cholinergic excitation of the cortex and hippocampus is discussed.

Action Potentials↗

Vasopressin modulates K(+)-channel activities of cultured smooth muscle cells from porcine coronary artery.

The ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP channel) and the Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel (KCa channel) were active in cell-attached and excised inside-out patch configurations in cultured smooth muscle cells of the porcine coronary artery. Vasopressin activated the KCa channel (240 pS) when it was applied in the bath in the cell-attached patch mode presumably because of an increase in intracellular Ca2+, but it had no direct effect on the KCa channel. However, vasopressin directly blocked the KATP channel from outside the cell membranes in a concentration-dependent manner in both outside-out and cell-attached patch configurations; the K(+)-channel opener, nicorandil, reversed this effect. The KATP channel (30 pS) was highly active in the intact cell-attached patch configuration when the pipette contained a physiological concentration of Ca2+, suggesting that this channel may control the resting membrane potential. (The block might produce depolarization of the cells and might result in the contraction of smooth muscle cells.) These observations suggest that the KATP channel may play a role, at least in part, in controlling the contraction of smooth muscle cells of the coronary artery and that the control of vascular tone by vasopressin may be related to its ability to block the KATP channel.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

The structure and function of the ATP-sensitive K+ channel in insulin-secreting pancreatic beta-cells.

ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) play important roles in many cellular functions by coupling cell metabolism to electrical activity. The KATP channels in pancreatic beta-cells are thought to be critical in the regulation of glucose-induced and sulfonylurea-induced insulin secretion. Until recently, however, the molecular structure of the KATP channel was not known. Cloning members of the novel inwardly rectifying K+ channel subfamily Kir6.0 (Kir6.1 and Kir6.2) and the sulfonylurea receptors (SUR1 and SUR2) has clarified the molecular structure of KATP channels. The pancreatic beta-cell KATP channel comprises two subunits: a Kir6.2 subunit and an SUR1 subunit. Molecular biological and molecular genetic studies have provided insights into the physiological and pathophysiological roles of the pancreatic beta-cell KATP channel in insulin secretion.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Metabolic inhibition impairs ATP-sensitive K+ channel block by sulfonylurea in pancreatic beta-cells.

The effect of metabolic inhibition on the blocking of beta-cell ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) by glibenclamide was investigated using a patch-clamp technique. Inhibition of KATP channels by glibenclamide was attenuated in the cell-attached mode under metabolic inhibition induced by 2,4-dinitrophenol. Under a low concentration (0.1 microM) of ATP applied in the inside-out mode, KATP channel activity was not fully abolished, even when a high dose of glibenclamide was applied, in contrast to the dose-dependent and complete KATP channel inhibition under 10 microM ATP. On the other hand, cibenzoline, a class Ia antiarrhythmic agent, inhibits KATP channel activity in a dose-dependent manner and completely blocks it, even under metabolic inhibition. In sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1)- and inward rectifier K+ channel (Kir6.2)-expressed proteins, cibenzoline binds directly to Kir6.2, unlike glibenclamide. Thus, KATP channel inhibition by glibenclamide is impaired under the condition of decreased intracellular ATP in pancreatic beta-cells, probably because of a defect in signal transmission between SUR1 and Kir6.2 downstream of the site of sulfonylurea binding to SUR1.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

Internal Ca2+ ions inactivate and modify ATP-sensitive potassium channels in adult mouse skeletal muscle.

The effects of internal Ca2+ ions on single ATP-sensitive potassium channels (KATP channels) were studied in inside-out membrane patches excised from mouse skeletal muscle. Channel activity was high when patches were excised in a Ca(2+)-free, Na(+)-rich solution and declined irreversibly within seconds in the presence of internal Ca2+ (0.1 and 2 mM). After Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of the channels, the ATP concentration-response curve was steeper and 50% channel blockage occurred at a lower ATP concentration than before inactivation. ATP (50 microM) in a K(+)-rich solution bathing the intracellular membrane surface reduced the open-probability of KATP channels to 18% before and to 10% after exposure of the patch to internal Ca2+ (0.1 mM). The block of KATP channels by ATP (50 microM) was also enhanced by internal Ca2+ at a concentration of 13 microM. It is concluded that internal Ca2+ ions can both inactivate KATP channels and modify the active channels. KATP channels modified by Ca2+ are blocked more strongly by ATP than unmodified channels.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Metabolic regulation of the pancreatic beta-cell ATP-sensitive K+ channel: a pas de deux.

Closure of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) is a key step in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The precise mechanism(s) by which glucose metabolism regulates KATP channel activity, however, remains controversial. It is widely believed that the principal determinants are the intracellular concentrations of the metabolic ligands, ATP and ADP, which have opposing actions on KATP channels, with ATP closing and MgADP opening the channel. However, the sensitivity of the channel to these nucleotides in the intact cell, and their relative contribution to the regulation of channel activity, remains unclear. The precise role of phosphoinositides and long-chain acyl-CoA esters, which are capable of modulating the channel ATP sensitivity, is also uncertain. Furthermore, it is still a matter of debate whether it is changes in the concentration of ATP, of MgADP, or of other agents, which couples glucose metabolism to KATP channel activity. In this article, we review current knowledge of the metabolic regulation of the KATP channel and provide evidence that MgADP (or MgATP hydrolysis), acting at the regulatory subunit of the channel, shifts the ATP concentration-response curve into a range in which the channel pore can respond to dynamic changes in cytosolic ATP. This metabolic pas de deux orchestrates the pivotal role of ATP in metabolic regulation of the KATP channel.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗

Galanin activates nucleotide-dependent K+ channels in insulin-secreting cells via a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein.

The effects of galanin (7-70 nM) on ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels), membrane potential and the release of insulin have been studied in the insulinoma cell line, RINm5F. Single-channel currents have been recorded from excised outside-out membrane patches as well as intact insulin-secreting cells and it is shown that galanin, added to the outside of the membrane, specifically activates KATP channels. Studies carried out using the fluorescent probe bisoxonol demonstrate that galanin hyperpolarizes RINm5F cells. Galanin was also found to abolish glyceraldehyde-stimulated immunoreactive insulin release from the insulinoma cells. Both the galanin-evoked hyperpolarization and inhibition of insulin release were abolished in cells pre-exposed to pertussis toxin. The possibility that the gating of KATP channels could be mediated by a G-protein was studied in patch-clamp experiments by adding F- to the solution bathing the inside of the cell membranes (open-cell), in order to generate the alumino-fluoride complex AlF4-. F- (1-10 mM) evoked dose-dependent activation of KATP channels and this effect was fully reversible. F- was also able to activate K+ channels inhibited by ATP. That the fluoride activation of KATP channels is mediated by the complex AlF4- was indicated by experiments in which AlCl3 (10 microM) was found to enhance further the activation of K+ channels evoked by 1 mM F- and by results showing that F(-)-stimulation of KATP channels was (i) abolished in the continued presence of F- by the Al3+ chelator deferoxamine (0.5 mM) and (ii) could be mimicked by VO4(3-) which has a structure similar to that of the AlF4- complex.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Cardioselective antiischemic ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) openers. 5. Identification of 4-(N-aryl)-substituted benzopyran derivatives with high selectivity.

This paper describes our studies aimed at the discovery of structurally distinct analogs of the cardioprotective KATP opener BMS-180448 (2) with improved selectivity for the ischemic myocardium. The starting compound 6, derived from the indole analog 4. showed good cardioprotective potency and excellent selectivity compared to 2 and the first-generation KATP opener cromakalim (1). The structure-activity studies indicate that increasing the size of the alkyl ester leads to diminished potency as does its replacement with a variety of other groups (nitrile, methyl sulfone). Replacement of the ethyl ester of 6 with an imidazole gave the best compound 3 (BMS-191095) of this series which maintains the potency and selectivity of its predecessor 6. The results described in this publication further support that there is no correlation between vasorelaxant and cardioprotective potencies of KATP openers. Compound 3 is over 20- and 4000-fold more selective for the ischemic myocardium than 2 and cromakalim (1), respectively. The selectivity for the ischemic myocardium is achieved by reduction of vasorelaxant potency rather than enhancement in antiischemic potency. As for cromakalim (1) and 2, the cardioprotective effects of compound 3 are inhibited by cotreatment with the KATP blocker glyburide, indicating that the KATP opening is involved in its mechanism of cardioprotection. With its good oral bioavailability (47%) and plasma elimination half-life (3 h) in rats, compound 3 offers an excellent candidate to investigate the role of residual vasorelaxant potency of 2 toward its cardioprotective activity in vivo.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Effects of glucose and amino acids on free ADP in betaHC9 insulin-secreting cells.

Stimulation of insulin release by glucose is widely thought to be coupled to a decrease in the activity of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) that is caused by a decreased concentration of free ADP. To date, most other investigators have reported only on total cellular ADP concentrations, even though only a small fraction of all ADP is free and only the free ADP affects KATP channels. We tested the hypothesis that amino acids elicit insulin release via a decrease in the activity of KATP channels owing to a decrease in the level of free ADP. We estimated the concentration of free ADP in betaHC9 hyperplastic insulin-secreting cells based on the cell diameter and on luminometric measurements of ATP, phosphocreatine, and total creatine. The concentration of free ADP fell exponentially as the concentration of glucose increased. A physiological mixture of amino acids greatly stimulated insulin release at 0-30 mmol/l glucose but affected the concentration of free ADP only to a minor degree and significantly so only at < or = 2 mmol/l glucose. In the presence of 2-deoxyglucose and NaN3, amino acids were unable to stimulate insulin release. When KATP channels were held open with diazoxide (and the plasma membrane partially depolarized with high extracellular KCl), amino acids still stimulated insulin release. We conclude that amino acid-induced insulin release depends on two components: a yet-unknown amino acid sensor and KATP channels, which serve to attenuate hormone release when cellular energy stores are low. We propose that glucose-induced insulin release may be regulated similarly by two components: glucokinase and KATP channels.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Evidence for a unique long chain acyl-CoA ester binding site on the ATP-regulated potassium channel in mouse pancreatic beta cells.

The mechanism by which long chain acyl-CoA (LC-CoA) esters affect the ATP-regulated potassium channel (KATP channel) was studied in inside-out patches isolated from mouse pancreatic beta cells. Addition of LC-CoA esters dramatically increased KATP channel activity. The stimulatory effect of the esters could be explained by the induction of a prolonged open state of the channel and did not involve alterations in single channel unitary conductance. Under control conditions, absence of adenine nucleotides, the distribution of KATP channel open time could be described by a single exponential, with a time constant of about 25 ms. Exposing the same patch to LC-CoA esters resulted in the appearance of an additional component with a time constant of >>150 ms, indicating a conformational change of the channel protein. LC-CoA esters were also able to potently activate channel activity at different ratios of ATP/ADP. Simultaneous additions of MgADP and LC-CoA esters resulted in a supra-additive effect on channel mean open time, characterized by openings of very long duration. Following modification of the KATP channel by a short exposure of the patch to the protease trypsin, the stimulatory effect of ADP on channel activity was lost while activation by LC-CoA esters still persisted. This indicates that LC-CoA esters and MgADP do not bind to the same site. We conclude that LC-CoA esters may play an important role in the physiological regulation of the KATP channel in the pancreatic beta cell by binding to a unique site and thereby inducing repolarization of the beta cell-membrane potential.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗