Effect of estradiol on insulin secreting INS-1 cells overexpressing estrogen receptors

The Role of Estrogens in Pancreatic Islet Physiopathology

In rodent models of insulin-deficient diabetes, 17β-estradiol (E2) protects pancreatic insulin-producing β-cells against oxidative stress, amyloid polypeptide toxicity, gluco-lipotoxicity, and apoptosis. Three estrogen receptors (ERs)-ERα, ERβ, and the G protein-coupled ER (GPER)-have been identified in rodent and human β-cells. This chapter describes recent advances in our understanding of the role of ERs in islet β-cell function, nutrient homeostasis, survival from pro-apoptotic stimuli, and proliferation. We discuss why and how ERs represent potential therapeutic targets for the maintenance of functional β-cell mass.

Bisphenol A Is More Potent than Phthalate Metabolites in Reducing Pancreatic β-Cell Function

Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are common environmental contaminants that have been proposed to influence incidence and development of types 1 and 2 diabetes. Thus, effects of BPA and three phthalate metabolites (monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), and mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP)) were studied in the pancreatic β-cell line INS-1E, after 2–72 h of exposure to 5–500 μM. Three endpoints relevant to accelerated development of types 1 or 2 diabetes were investigated: β-cell viability, glucose-induced insulin secretion, and β-cell susceptibility to cytokine-induced cell death. BPA and the phthalate metabolites reduced cellular viability after 72 h of exposure, with BPA as the most potent chemical. Moreover, BPA, MEHP, and MnBP increased insulin secretion after 2 h of simultaneous exposure to chemicals and glucose, with potency BPA > MEHP > MnBP. Longer chemical exposures (24–72 h) showed no consistent effects on glucose-induced insulin secretion, and none of the environmental chemicals affected susceptibility to cytokine-induced cell death. Overall, BPA was more potent than the investigated phthalate metabolites in affecting insulin secretion and viability in the INS-1E pancreatic β-cells. In contrast to recent literature, concentrations with relevance to human exposures (1–500 nM) did not affect the investigated endpoints, suggesting that this experimental model displayed relatively low sensitivity to environmental chemical exposure.

Evaluation of the INS-1 832/13 cell line as a beta-cell based screening system to assess pollutant effects on beta-cell function

Environmental pollutants have recently emerged as potential risk factors for metabolic diseases, urging systematic investigation of pollutant effects on metabolic disease processes. To enable risk assessment of these so-called metabolic disruptors the use of stable, robust and well-defined cell based screening systems has recently been encouraged. Since beta-cell (dys)functionality is central in diabetes pathophysiology, the need to develop beta-cell based pollutant screening systems is evident. In this context, the present research evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the INS-1 832/13 pancreatic beta-cell line as diabetogenic pollutant screening system with a focus on beta-cell function. After optimization of exposure conditions, positive (exendin-4, glibenclamide) and negative (diazoxide) control compounds for acute insulin secretion responses were tested and those with the most profound effects were selected to allow potency estimations and ranking of pollutants. This was followed by a first explorative screening of acute bisphenol A and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate effects. The same approach was applied for chronic exposures, focusing primarily on evaluation of acknowledged chronic stimulators (diazoxide, T0901317, exendin-4) or inhibitors (glibenclamide) of insulin secretion responses to select the most responsive ones for use as control compounds in a chronic pollutant testing framework. Our results showed that INS-1 832/13 cells responded conform previous observations regarding acute effects of control compounds on insulin secretion, while bisphenol A and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate had limited acute effects. Furthermore, chronic exposure to known beta-cell reactive compounds resulted in deviating insulin secretion and insulin content profiles compared to previous reports. In conclusion, this INS-1 subclone appears to lack certain characteristics needed to respond appropriately to acute pollutant exposure or long term exposure to known beta-cell reactive compounds and thus seems to be, in our setting, inadequate as a diabetogenic pollutant screening system.

Importance of oestrogen receptors to preserve functional β-cell mass in diabetes

Protecting the functional mass of insulin-producing β cells of the pancreas is a major therapeutic challenge in patients with type 1 (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The gonadal hormone 17β-oestradiol (E2) is involved in reproductive, bone, cardiovascular and neuronal physiology. In rodent models of T1DM and T2DM, treatment with E2 protects pancreatic β cells against oxidative stress, amyloid polypeptide toxicity, lipotoxicity and apoptosis. Three oestrogen receptors (ERs)--ERα, ERβ and the G protein-coupled ER (GPER)--have been identified in rodent and human β cells. Whereas activation of ERα enhances glucose-stimulated insulin biosynthesis, reduces islet toxic lipid accumulation and promotes β-cell survival from proapoptotic stimuli, activation of ERβ increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. However, activation of GPER protects β cells from apoptosis, raises glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and lipid homeostasis without affecting insulin biosynthesis. Oestrogens are also improving islet engraftment in rodent models of pancreatic islet transplantation. This Review describes developments in the role of ERs in islet insulin biosynthesis and secretion, lipid homeostasis and survival. Moreover, we discuss why and how enhancing ER action in β cells without the undesirable effect of general oestrogen therapy is a therapeutic avenue to preserve functional β-cell mass in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Genistein acutely stimulates insulin secretion in pancreatic beta-cells through a cAMP-dependent protein kinase pathway

Although genistein, a soy isoflavone, has beneficial effects on various tissues, it is unclear whether it plays a role in physiological insulin secretion. Here, we present evidence that genistein increases rapid glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in both insulin-secreting cell lines (INS-1 and MIN6) and mouse pancreatic islets. Genistein elicited a significant effect at a concentration as low as 10 nmol/l with a maximal effect at 5 micromol/l. The effect of genistein on GSIS was not dependent on estrogen receptor and also not related to an inhibition of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK). Consistent with its effect on GSIS, genistein increases intracellular cAMP and activates protein kinase A (PKA) in both cell lines and the islets by a mechanism that does not involve estrogen receptor or PTK. The induced cAMP by genistein, at physiological concentrations, may result primarily from enhanced adenylate cyclase activity. Pharmacological or molecular intervention of PKA activation indicated that the insulinotropic effect of genistein is primarily mediated through PKA. These findings demonstrated that genistein directly acts on pancreatic beta-cells, leading to activation of the cAMP/PKA signaling cascade to exert an insulinotropic effect, thereby providing a novel role of soy isoflavones in the regulation of insulin secretion.

Effect of 17beta-estradiol on insulin secretion and cytosolic calcium in Min6 mouse insulinoma cells and human islets of Langerhans

OBJECTIVE

Female gonadal steroids can exert an insulinotropic effect in vivo. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects in vitro of 17-beta-estradiol (17beta-E2) on changes in cytosolic calcium ([Ca]i) and on insulin secretion from the MIN6 mouse insulinoma cell line and human primary islets of Langerhans.

METHODS

Stimulus-induced changes in [Ca]i were measured in Fura-2-loaded cells by single cell microfluorimetry. The effects of 17beta-E2 on insulin secretion were measured in static incubation experiments, and the rate and pattern of secretory responses were studied in multi-channel perifusion experiments.

RESULTS

17Beta-E2 (1-100 nmol/L) enhanced basal (2 mmol/L glucose) insulin secretion but had no effect on secretory responses to 20 mmol/L glucose or to depolarizing stimuli (100 micromol/L tolbutamide, 20 mmol/L KCl). Approximately 60% of MIN6 cells responded to 17beta-E2 (1-100 nmol/L) with a small but sustained increase in [Ca]i, whereas 98% of MIN6 cells responded to tolbutamide (100 micromol/L). Similar effects were observed in experiments using human primary beta cells. In contrast, 17beta-E2 had no detectable effect on the increases in [Ca]i evoked by tolbutamide (100 micromol/L) or glucose (20 mmol/L).

CONCLUSIONS

Our observations are consistent with a rapid effect of 17beta-E2 to depolarize beta cells leading to an influx of extracellular Ca and the initiation of insulin secretion by the consequent elevations in [Ca]i. We suggest that this may offer a mechanism through which circulating estradiol can influence beta-cell responsiveness to other signals.

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta2 regulates gene expression of insulin in INS-1 rat insulinoma cells

Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II is a member of a broad family of ubiquitously expressed Ca(2+) sensing serine/threonine-kinases. Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II is highly expressed in insulin secreting cells and is associated with insulin secretory granules and has been proposed to play an important role in exocytosis or in insulin granule transport to release sites. To elucidate its function the antisense sequence of the major beta-cell subtype, Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta(2), was stably expressed in INS-1 rat insulinoma cells. This caused a loss of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta(2) expression at the mRNA and protein level, while the expression of the 95% homologous Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II gamma and of beta-cell specific proteins such as the homeodomain factor pancreatic-duodenal homeobox factor-1 (PDX-1, also referred to as islet/duodenum homeobox-1, IDX-1, insulin promoter factor-1, IPF-1 and somatostatin transactivating factor-1, STF-1), the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor and K(ATP)-channels K(IR)6.2/SUR-1 (sulfonylurea receptor-1) was not altered. Unexpectedly, the cells showed a large reduction of insulin gene expression, which was due to reduced insulin gene transcription. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays of PDX-1 binding to the insulin promoter A1 and E2/A3A4 elements showed additional bands indicating alterations of PDX-1 complex formation. Stable over expression of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta(2), by contrast, was associated with elevated expression of insulin mRNA. Therefore, we conclude that Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta(2) links fuel-dependent increases in intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations to transcriptional regulation of genes related to the metabolic control of insulin secretion.

Rapid non-genomic and genomic responses to progestogens, estrogens, and glucocorticoids in the endocrine pancreatic B cell, the adipocyte and other cell types

Rapid biologic responses to injected steroids were described as early as 60 years ago. More recently, evidence has been presented that 17beta-estradiol given i.v. will double the uterine cAMP activity within 15 s (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1967;58:1711-8), and also that estrogens will bind to the outer surfaces of endometrial cells (Nature 1977;265:69-72), suggesting that these steroids can both engage and direct intracellular events. Unfortunately, studies of such rapid membrane effects of steroids have languished due to the accumulation of compelling data for the more slowly manifest actions of these compounds at the level of nuclear DNA. We report a number of observations in women, in experimental animals, and in isolated organ or cell systems using 17beta-estradiol, progesterone or glucocorticoids which provide ample evidence for rapid intracellular metabolic responses to these steroids, mediated by their actions at the cellular plasma membrane. Such rapid responses have been shown in various classic targets or not, such as the B cell of the endocrine pancreas and the fat cell. They involve plasma membrane binding, changes in membrane electrical activity, Ca2+ handling, G and Ras proteins, cAMP, cGMP, IP(3), DAG, phosphodiesterases, protein kinases, tyrosine kinases, ER kinases, and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPks) and nitric oxide synthase. These recent findings are discussed in detail and should lead to a fuller understanding of the cellular effects of the steroid hormones.