Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Glucagon, secreted by pancreatic islet α cells, is the principal hyperglycemic hormone. In diabetes, glucagon secretion is not suppressed at high glucose, exacerbating the consequences of insufficient insulin secretion, and is inadequate at low glucose, potentially leading to fatal hypoglycemia. The causal mechanisms remain unknown. Here we show that α cell KATP-channel activity is very low under hypoglycemic conditions and that hyperglycemia, via elevated intracellular ATP/ADP, leads to complete inhibition. This produces membrane depolarization and voltage-dependent inactivation of the Na(+) channels involved in action potential firing that, via reduced action potential height and Ca(2+) entry, suppresses glucagon secretion. Maneuvers that increase KATP channel activity, such as metabolic inhibition, mimic the glucagon secretory defects associated with diabetes. Low concentrations of the KATP channel blocker tolbutamide partially restore glucose-regulated glucagon secretion in islets from type 2 diabetic organ donors. These data suggest that impaired metabolic control of the KATP channels underlies the defective glucose regulation of glucagon secretion in type 2 diabetes.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.cmet.2013.10.014

Type

Journal article

Journal

Cell Metab

Publication Date

03/12/2013

Volume

18

Pages

871 - 882

Keywords

Adenosine Triphosphate, Animals, Calcium, Calcium Channels, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Exocytosis, Glucagon, Glucagon-Secreting Cells, Glucose, Humans, In Vitro Techniques, KATP Channels, Membrane Potentials, Mice, Mutation, Patch-Clamp Techniques, Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying, Tissue Donors, Tolbutamide