MOTS-c regulates pancreatic alpha and beta cell functions in vitro

• Published in: Histochemistry and cell biology Vol. 161; no. 6; pp. 449 - 460
• Main Authors: Bień, Jakub, Pruszyńska-Oszmałek, Ewa, Kołodziejski, Paweł, Leciejewska, Natalia, Szczepankiewicz, Dawid, Sassek, Maciej
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Beta cells; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Biology; Cell culture; Cell Line; Cell lines; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cell viability; Cells, Cultured; Developmental Biology; Fatty acids; Glucagon; Glucagon - metabolism; Glucagon-Secreting Cells - cytology; Glucagon-Secreting Cells - metabolism; Glucose - metabolism; Glucose - pharmacology; In vitro; Insulin - metabolism; Insulin-Secreting Cells - cytology; Insulin-Secreting Cells - metabolism; Islets of Langerhans; Mice; Mitochondria; Open reading frames; Original Paper; Pancreas; Physiology; Protein expression; Rats; rRNA; Secretion; INS-1E; MOTS-c; Pancreas; αTC-1
• ISSN: 0948-6143; 1432-119X; 1432-119X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00418-024-02274-0

The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the mitochondrial open-reading-frame of the twelve S rRNA-c (MOTS-c) peptide on pancreatic cell physiology. Moreover, in this study, we examined the changes in MOTS-c secretion and expression under different conditions. Our experiments were conducted using laboratory cell line cultures, specifically the INS-1E and αTC-1 cell lines, which represent β and α pancreatic cells, respectively. As the pancreas is an endocrine organ, we also tested its hormone regulation capabilities. Furthermore, we assessed the secretion of MOTS-c after incubating the cells with glucose and free fatty acids. Additionally, we examined key cell culture parameters such as cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis. The results obtained from this study show that MOTS-c has a significant impact on the physiology of pancreatic cells. Specifically, it lowers insulin secretion and expression in INS-1E cells and enhances glucagon secretion and expression in αTC-1 cells. Furthermore, MOTS-c affects cell viability and apoptosis. Interestingly, insulin and glucagon affect the MOTS-c secretion as well as glucose and free fatty acids. These experiments clearly show that MOTS-c is an important regulator of pancreatic metabolism, and there are numerous properties of MOTS-c yet to be discovered.