Alpha cell regulation of beta cell function

The islet of Langerhans is a complex endocrine micro-organ consisting of a multitude of endocrine and non-endocrine cell types. The two most abundant and prominent endocrine cell types, the beta and the alpha cells, are essential for the maintenance of blood glucose homeostasis. While the beta cell...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDiabetologia Vol. 63; no. 10; pp. 2064 - 2075
Main Authors Moede, Tilo, Leibiger, Ingo B., Berggren, Per-Olof
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2020
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Acetylcholine
Beta cells
Blood glucose
Cell- och molekylärbiologi
Endokrinologi och diabetes
Glucagon
Glucose
Homeostasis
Human Physiology
Insulin
Insulin secretion
Internal Medicine
Klinisk medicin
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper
Metabolic Diseases
Paracrine signalling
Review
Human
Alpha cell
GLP-1
Glucagon
Mouse
Paracrine interaction
Beta cell
Acetylcholine
Islets
Review
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Summary:The islet of Langerhans is a complex endocrine micro-organ consisting of a multitude of endocrine and non-endocrine cell types. The two most abundant and prominent endocrine cell types, the beta and the alpha cells, are essential for the maintenance of blood glucose homeostasis. While the beta cell produces insulin, the only blood glucose-lowering hormone of the body, the alpha cell releases glucagon, which elevates blood glucose. Under physiological conditions, these two cell types affect each other in a paracrine manner. While the release products of the beta cell inhibit alpha cell function, the alpha cell releases factors that are stimulatory for beta cell function and increase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of recent research into the regulation of beta cell function by alpha cells, focusing on the effect of alpha cell-secreted factors, such as glucagon and acetylcholine. The consequences of differences in islet architecture between species on the interplay between alpha and beta cells is also discussed. Finally, we give a perspective on the possibility of using an in vivo imaging approach to study the interactions between human alpha and beta cells under in vivo conditions. Graphical abstract
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ISSN:0012-186X
1432-0428
1432-0428
DOI:10.1007/s00125-020-05196-3