UCP2 regulates the glucagon response to fasting and starvation

Glucagon is important for maintaining euglycemia during fasting/starvation, and abnormal glucagon secretion is associated with type 1 and type 2 diabetes; however, the mechanisms of hypoglycemia-induced glucagon secretion are poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that global deletion of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2(-/-)) in mice impaired glucagon secretion from isolated islets. Therefore, UCP2 may contribute to the regulation of hypoglycemia-induced glucagon secretion, which is supported by our current finding that UCP2 expression is increased in nutrient-deprived murine and human islets. Further to this, we created α-cell-specific UCP2 knockout (UCP2AKO) mice, which we used to demonstrate that blood glucose recovery in response to hypoglycemia is impaired owing to attenuated glucagon secretion. UCP2-deleted α-cells have higher levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to enhanced mitochondrial coupling, which translated into defective stimulus/secretion coupling. The effects of UCP2 deletion were mimicked by the UCP2 inhibitor genipin on both murine and human islets and also by application of exogenous ROS, confirming that changes in oxidative status and electrical activity directly reduce glucagon secretion. Therefore, α-cell UCP2 deletion perturbs the fasting/hypoglycemic glucagon response and shows that UCP2 is necessary for normal α-cell glucose sensing and the maintenance of euglycemia.

Beta-cell uncoupling protein 2 regulates reactive oxygen species production, which influences both insulin and glucagon secretion

OBJECTIVE

The role of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in pancreatic β-cells is highly debated, partly because of the broad tissue distribution of UCP2 and thus limitations of whole-body UCP2 knockout mouse models. To investigate the function of UCP2 in the β-cell, β-cell-specific UCP2 knockout mice (UCP2BKO) were generated and characterized.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

UCP2BKO mice were generated by crossing loxUCP2 mice with mice expressing rat insulin promoter-driven Cre recombinase. Several in vitro and in vivo parameters were measured, including respiration rate, mitochondrial membrane potential, islet ATP content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), glucagon secretion, glucose and insulin tolerance, and plasma hormone levels.

RESULTS

UCP2BKO β-cells displayed mildly increased glucose-induced mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization but unchanged rates of uncoupled respiration and islet ATP content. UCP2BKO islets had elevated intracellular ROS levels that associated with enhanced GSIS. Surprisingly, UCP2BKO mice were glucose-intolerant, showing greater α-cell area, higher islet glucagon content, and aberrant ROS-dependent glucagon secretion under high glucose conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Using a novel β-cell-specific UCP2KO mouse model, we have shed light on UCP2 function in primary β-cells. UCP2 does not behave as a classical metabolic uncoupler in the β-cell, but has a more prominent role in the regulation of intracellular ROS levels that contribute to GSIS amplification. In addition, β-cell UCP2 contributes to the regulation of intraislet ROS signals that mediate changes in α-cell morphology and glucagon secretion.

Uncoupling protein 2 regulates reactive oxygen species formation in islets and influences susceptibility to diabetogenic action of streptozotocin

Currently, the physiological function of uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) in pancreatic islets and its role in the development of diabetes is a matter of great debate. To further investigate the impact of UCP2 on diabetes development, we used streptozotocin (STZ) to experimentally generate diabetes in both wild-type (WT) and UCP2-knockout (UCP2KO) mice. While multiple low-dose STZ injections led to hyperglycemia development over a 14-day period in both WT and UCP2KO mice, we found the development of hyperglycemia to be significantly less severe in the UCP2KO mice. Measurement of insulin and glucagon secretion (in vitro), as well as their plasma concentrations (in vivo), indicated that UCP2-deficiency showed enhanced insulin secretion but impaired alpha-cell function. Glucagon secretion was attenuated, despite reduced insulin secretion after exposure to STZ, which together contributed to less severe hyperglycemia development in UCP2KO mice. Further experimentation revealed that UCP2-deficient alpha- and beta-cells had chronically higher cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels than the WT prior to STZ application, which correlated with increased basal beta- and alpha-cell mass. Overall, we suggest that increased chronic ROS signaling as a result of UCP2-deficiency contributes to enhanced beta-cell function and impairment of alpha-cell function, leading to an attenuation of STZ-induced hyperglycemia development.