Experience

University of Toronto                 

 

Supervisor: Dr. M. Wheeler (Department of Physiology)

 

Project: Characterization of pancreatic b-cell function in UCP-2 knockout mice.

 

A key event in insulin secretion from the pancreatic b-cell is glucose-stimulated mitochondrial production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).  Uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) is localized to the inner mitochondrial membrane and plays a role as a “typical” uncoupler that modulates the efficiency of ATP production by catalyzing the translocation of protons across the mitochondrial membrane.  This uncoupling reduces the protonmotive force that drives ATP synthase activity and thus reduces the ability of the b-cell to increase ATP levels in response to glucose.  The work presented here focuses on the role of UCP2 in the pancreatic b-cell and the involvement of UCP2 in free fatty acid (FFA) induced b-cell defects leading to type 2 diabetes.  UCP2 was found to negatively regulate glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS).  UCP2 expression is increased by FFAs suggesting a possible causal link between UCP2 and b-cell defects associated with elevated FFA.  Mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) have elevated UCP2 protein levels and blunted GSIS with no compensatory increase in b-cell mass.  Mice lacking UCP2 are resistant to the effects of a HFD on b-cell function.  HFD fed UCP2 (-/-) mice show no loss in GSIS and have an increase b-cell mass.  In order to assess the mechanism of enhanced b-cell insulin secretion in mice lacking UCP2 an in vitro model was developed where isolated islets were exposed to 0.4 mM palmitate for 48 hours.  The most proximal consequence of palmitate induced UCP2 levels appears to decrease glucose-stimulated changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential and this diminishes the downstream glucose-stimulated increase in both the ATP/ADP ratio and cytosolic Ca²⁺.  This leads to an attenuation of GSIS.  UCP2 (-/-) mice have no lose in b-cell glucose-stimulated hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential and maintain their ability to secrete insulin in a glucose-dependent fashion.  Therefore HFD fed mice or palmitate exposed islets loss their glucose sensitivity by a mechanism that likely involves increased UCP2.  In addition, UCP2 may also modulate the oscillatory pattern of ATP production and thus oscillations in K_ATP channel activity, plasma membrane potential and insulin secretion.  UCP2 is an important regulator of glucose sensing in the pancreatic b-cell and upregulation of UCP2 in the pre-diabetic state could contribute to the loss of glucose responsiveness observed in obesity-related type 2 diabetes.

 

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