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Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism Sep 2018Insulin synthesis in pancreatic β-cells is initiated as preproinsulin. Prevailing glucose concentrations, which oscillate pre- and postprandially, exert major dynamic... (Review)
Review
Insulin synthesis in pancreatic β-cells is initiated as preproinsulin. Prevailing glucose concentrations, which oscillate pre- and postprandially, exert major dynamic variation in preproinsulin biosynthesis. Accompanying upregulated translation of the insulin precursor includes elements of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) translocation apparatus linked to successful orientation of the signal peptide, translocation and signal peptide cleavage of preproinsulin-all of which are necessary to initiate the pathway of proper proinsulin folding. Evolutionary pressures on the primary structure of proinsulin itself have preserved the efficiency of folding ("foldability"), and remarkably, these evolutionary pressures are distinct from those protecting the ultimate biological activity of insulin. Proinsulin foldability is manifest in the ER, in which the local environment is designed to assist in the overall load of proinsulin folding and to favour its disulphide bond formation (while limiting misfolding), all of which is closely tuned to ER stress response pathways that have complex (beneficial, as well as potentially damaging) effects on pancreatic β-cells. Proinsulin misfolding may occur as a consequence of exuberant proinsulin biosynthetic load in the ER, proinsulin coding sequence mutations, or genetic predispositions that lead to an altered ER folding environment. Proinsulin misfolding is a phenotype that is very much linked to deficient insulin production and diabetes, as is seen in a variety of contexts: rodent models bearing proinsulin-misfolding mutants, human patients with Mutant INS-gene-induced Diabetes of Youth (MIDY), animal models and human patients bearing mutations in critical ER resident proteins, and, quite possibly, in more common variety type 2 diabetes.
Topics: Animals; Diabetes Mellitus; Disease Models, Animal; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Humans; Insulin; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Mice; Mutation; Proinsulin; Protein Folding; Protein Precursors; Protein Translocation Systems
PubMed: 30230185
DOI: 10.1111/dom.13378 -
The Journal of Cell Biology Dec 2022Insulin is synthesized by pancreatic β-cells and stored into secretory granules (SGs). SGs fuse with the plasma membrane in response to a stimulus and deliver insulin...
Insulin is synthesized by pancreatic β-cells and stored into secretory granules (SGs). SGs fuse with the plasma membrane in response to a stimulus and deliver insulin to the bloodstream. The mechanism of how proinsulin and its processing enzymes are sorted and targeted from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to SGs remains mysterious. No cargo receptor for proinsulin has been identified. Here, we show that chromogranin (CG) proteins undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) at a mildly acidic pH in the lumen of the TGN, and recruit clients like proinsulin to the condensates. Client selectivity is sequence-independent but based on the concentration of the client molecules in the TGN. We propose that the TGN provides the milieu for converting CGs into a "cargo sponge" leading to partitioning of client molecules, thus facilitating receptor-independent client sorting. These findings provide a new receptor-independent sorting model in β-cells and many other cell types and therefore represent an innovation in the field of membrane trafficking.
Topics: Chromogranins; Cytoplasmic Granules; Golgi Apparatus; Humans; Insulin; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Proinsulin; Secretory Vesicles
PubMed: 36173346
DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202206132 -
Scientific Reports Aug 2022Insulin secretion is regulated in multiple steps, and one of the main steps is in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Here, we show that UDP-glucose induces proinsulin...
Insulin secretion is regulated in multiple steps, and one of the main steps is in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Here, we show that UDP-glucose induces proinsulin ubiquitination by cereblon, and uridine binds and competes for proinsulin degradation and behaves as sustainable insulin secretagogue. Using insulin mutagenesis of neonatal diabetes variant-C43G and maturity-onset diabetes of the young 10 (MODY10) variant-R46Q, UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase 1 (UGGT1) protects cereblon-dependent proinsulin ubiquitination in the ER. Cereblon is a ligand-inducible E3 ubiquitin ligase, and we found that UDP-glucose is the first identified endogenous proinsulin protein degrader. Uridine-containing compounds, such as uridine, UMP, UTP, and UDP-galactose, inhibit cereblon-dependent proinsulin degradation and stimulate insulin secretion from 3 to 24 h after administration in β-cell lines as well as mice. This late and long-term insulin secretion stimulation is designated a day sustainable insulin secretion stimulation. Uridine-containing compounds are designated as proinsulin degradation regulators.
Topics: Animals; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Glucose; Insulin; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Mice; Proinsulin; Uridine; Uridine Diphosphate Glucose
PubMed: 36028536
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18902-5 -
Molecular Aspects of Medicine Apr 2015To maintain copious insulin granule stores in the face of ongoing metabolic demand, pancreatic beta cells must produce large quantities of proinsulin, the insulin... (Review)
Review
To maintain copious insulin granule stores in the face of ongoing metabolic demand, pancreatic beta cells must produce large quantities of proinsulin, the insulin precursor. Proinsulin biosynthesis can account for up to 30-50% of total cellular protein synthesis of beta cells. This puts pressure on the beta cell secretory pathway, especially the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where proinsulin undergoes its initial folding, including the formation of three evolutionarily conserved disulfide bonds. In normal beta cells, up to 20% of newly synthesized proinsulin may fail to reach its native conformation, suggesting that proinsulin is a misfolding-prone protein. Misfolded proinsulin molecules can either be refolded to their native structure or degraded through ER associated degradation (ERAD) and autophagy. These degraded molecules decrease proinsulin yield but do not otherwise compromise beta cell function. However, under certain pathological conditions, proinsulin misfolding increases, exceeding the genetically determined threshold of beta cells to handle the misfolded protein load. This results in accumulation of misfolded proinsulin in the ER - a causal factor leading to beta cell failure and diabetes. In patients with Mutant INS-gene induced diabetes of Youth (MIDY), increased proinsulin misfolding due to insulin gene mutations is the primary defect operating as a "first hit" to beta cells. Additionally, increased proinsulin misfolding can be secondary to an unfavorable ER folding environment due to genetic and/or environmental factors. Under these conditions, increased wild-type proinsulin misfolding becomes a "second hit" to the ER and beta cells, aggravating beta cell failure and diabetes. In this article, we describe our current understanding of the normal proinsulin folding pathway in the ER, and then review existing links between proinsulin misfolding, ER dysfunction, and beta cell failure in the development and progression of type 2, type 1, and some monogenic forms of diabetes.
Topics: Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Humans; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Oxidoreductases; Proinsulin; Protein Folding; Unfolded Protein Response
PubMed: 25579745
DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2015.01.001 -
Diabetologia Nov 2023Increased circulating levels of incompletely processed insulin (i.e. proinsulin) are observed clinically in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have suggested...
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS
Increased circulating levels of incompletely processed insulin (i.e. proinsulin) are observed clinically in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have suggested that Ca signalling within beta cells regulates insulin processing and secretion; however, the mechanisms that link impaired Ca signalling with defective insulin maturation remain incompletely understood.
METHODS
We generated mice with beta cell-specific sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca ATPase-2 (SERCA2) deletion (βS2KO mice) and used an INS-1 cell line model of SERCA2 deficiency. Whole-body metabolic phenotyping, Ca imaging, RNA-seq and protein processing assays were used to determine how loss of SERCA2 impacts beta cell function. To test key findings in human model systems, cadaveric islets were treated with diabetogenic stressors and prohormone convertase expression patterns were characterised.
RESULTS
βS2KO mice exhibited age-dependent glucose intolerance and increased plasma and pancreatic levels of proinsulin, while endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca levels and glucose-stimulated Ca synchronicity were reduced in βS2KO islets. Islets isolated from βS2KO mice and SERCA2-deficient INS-1 cells showed decreased expression of the active forms of the proinsulin processing enzymes PC1/3 and PC2. Additionally, immunofluorescence staining revealed mis-location and abnormal accumulation of proinsulin and proPC2 in the intermediate region between the ER and the Golgi (i.e. the ERGIC) and in the cis-Golgi in beta cells of βS2KO mice. Treatment of islets from human donors without diabetes with high glucose and palmitate concentrations led to reduced expression of the active forms of the proinsulin processing enzymes, thus phenocopying the findings observed in βS2KO islets and SERCA2-deficient INS-1 cells. Similar findings were observed in wild-type mouse islets treated with brefeldin A, a compound that perturbs ER-to-Golgi trafficking.
CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION
Taken together, these data highlight an important link between ER Ca homeostasis and proinsulin processing in beta cells. Our findings suggest a model whereby chronic ER Ca depletion due to SERCA2 deficiency impairs the spatial regulation of prohormone trafficking, processing and maturation within the secretory pathway.
DATA AVAILABILITY
RNA-seq data have been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO; accession no.: GSE207498).
Topics: Mice; Humans; Animals; Proinsulin; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; Insulin; Glucose; Islets of Langerhans
PubMed: 37537395
DOI: 10.1007/s00125-023-05979-4 -
Physiological Reviews Jan 2022Peptide hormones are first produced as larger precursor prohormones that require endoproteolytic cleavage to liberate the mature hormones. A structurally conserved but... (Review)
Review
Peptide hormones are first produced as larger precursor prohormones that require endoproteolytic cleavage to liberate the mature hormones. A structurally conserved but functionally distinct family of nine prohormone convertase enzymes (PCs) are responsible for cleavage of protein precursors, of which PC1/3 and PC2 are known to be exclusive to neuroendocrine cells and responsible for prohormone cleavage. Differential expression of PCs within tissues defines prohormone processing; whereas glucagon is the major product liberated from proglucagon via PC2 in pancreatic α-cells, proglucagon is preferentially processed by PC1/3 in intestinal L cells to produce glucagon-like peptides 1 and 2 (GLP-1, GLP-2). Beyond our understanding of processing of islet prohormones in healthy islets, there is convincing evidence that proinsulin, pro-islet amyloid polypeptide (proIAPP), and proglucagon processing is altered during prediabetes and diabetes. There is predictive value of elevated circulating proinsulin or proinsulin-to-C-peptide ratio for progression to type 2 diabetes, and elevated proinsulin or proinsulin-to-C-peptide ratio is predictive for development of type 1 diabetes in at-risk groups. After onset of diabetes, patients have elevated circulating proinsulin and proIAPP, and proinsulin may be an autoantigen in type 1 diabetes. Furthermore, preclinical studies reveal that α-cells have altered proglucagon processing during diabetes, leading to increased GLP-1 production. We conclude that despite strong associative data, current evidence is inconclusive on the potential causal role of impaired prohormone processing in diabetes and suggest that future work should focus on resolving the question of whether altered prohormone processing is a causal driver or merely a consequence of diabetes pathology.
Topics: Animals; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Glucagon; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Humans; Proglucagon; Proinsulin; Protein Precursors
PubMed: 34280055
DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00008.2021 -
Sphingolipid subtypes differentially control proinsulin processing and systemic glucose homeostasis.Nature Cell Biology Jan 2023Impaired proinsulin-to-insulin processing in pancreatic β-cells is a key defective step in both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) (refs. ), but the mechanisms...
Impaired proinsulin-to-insulin processing in pancreatic β-cells is a key defective step in both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) (refs. ), but the mechanisms involved remain to be defined. Altered metabolism of sphingolipids (SLs) has been linked to development of obesity, type 1 diabetes and T2D (refs. ); nonetheless, the role of specific SL species in β-cell function and demise is unclear. Here we define the lipid signature of T2D-associated β-cell failure, including an imbalance of specific very-long-chain SLs and long-chain SLs. β-cell-specific ablation of CerS2, the enzyme necessary for generation of very-long-chain SLs, selectively reduces insulin content, impairs insulin secretion and disturbs systemic glucose tolerance in multiple complementary models. In contrast, ablation of long-chain-SL-synthesizing enzymes has no effect on insulin content. By quantitatively defining the SL-protein interactome, we reveal that CerS2 ablation affects SL binding to several endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi transport proteins, including Tmed2, which we define as an endogenous regulator of the essential proinsulin processing enzyme Pcsk1. Our study uncovers roles for specific SL subtypes and SL-binding proteins in β-cell function and T2D-associated β-cell failure.
Topics: Humans; Proinsulin; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Sphingolipids; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Insulin; Homeostasis; Carrier Proteins; Glucose; Insulin-Secreting Cells
PubMed: 36543979
DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-01027-2 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Jul 2023Insulin is made from proinsulin, but the extent to which fasting/feeding controls the homeostatically regulated proinsulin pool in pancreatic β-cells remains largely...
Insulin is made from proinsulin, but the extent to which fasting/feeding controls the homeostatically regulated proinsulin pool in pancreatic β-cells remains largely unknown. Here, we first examined β-cell lines (INS1E and Min6, which proliferate slowly and are routinely fed fresh medium every 2-3 days) and found that the proinsulin pool size responds to each feeding within 1 to 2 h, affected both by the quantity of fresh nutrients and the frequency with which they are provided. We observed no effect of nutrient feeding on the overall rate of proinsulin turnover as quantified from cycloheximide-chase experiments. We show that nutrient feeding is primarily linked to rapid dephosphorylation of translation initiation factor eIF2α, presaging increased proinsulin levels (and thereafter, insulin levels), followed by its rephosphorylation during the ensuing hours that correspond to a fall in proinsulin levels. The decline of proinsulin levels is blunted by the integrated stress response inhibitor, ISRIB, or by inhibition of eIF2α rephosphorylation with a general control nonderepressible 2 (not PERK) kinase inhibitor. In addition, we demonstrate that amino acids contribute importantly to the proinsulin pool; mass spectrometry shows that β-cells avidly consume extracellular glutamine, serine, and cysteine. Finally, we show that in both rodent and human pancreatic islets, fresh nutrient availability dynamically increases preproinsulin, which can be quantified without pulse-labeling. Thus, the proinsulin available for insulin biosynthesis is rhythmically controlled by fasting/feeding cycles.
Topics: Humans; Insulin; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Islets of Langerhans; Nutrients; Proinsulin; Stress, Physiological; Signal Transduction; Cell Line; Up-Regulation
PubMed: 37209827
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104836 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2021Insight into folding mechanisms of proinsulin has been provided by analysis of dominant diabetes-associated mutations in the human insulin gene (). Such mutations cause... (Review)
Review
Insight into folding mechanisms of proinsulin has been provided by analysis of dominant diabetes-associated mutations in the human insulin gene (). Such mutations cause pancreatic β-cell dysfunction due to toxic misfolding of a mutant proinsulin and impairment in of wild-type insulin secretion. Anticipated by the "Akita" mouse (a classical model of monogenic diabetes mellitus; DM), this syndrome illustrates the paradigm endoreticulum (ER) stress leading to intracellular proteotoxicity. Diverse clinical mutations directly or indirectly perturb native disulfide pairing leading to protein misfolding and aberrant aggregation. Although most introduce or remove a cysteine (Cys; leading in either case to an unpaired thiol group), non-Cys-related mutations identify key determinants of folding efficiency. Studies of such mutations suggest that the hormone's evolution has been constrained not only by structure-function relationships, but also by the susceptibility of its single-chain precursor to impaired foldability. An intriguing hypothesis posits that overexpression in response to peripheral insulin resistance likewise leads to chronic ER stress and β-cell dysfunction in the natural history of non-syndromic Type 2 DM. Cryptic contributions of conserved residues to folding efficiency, as uncovered by rare genetic variants, define molecular links between biophysical principles and the emerging paradigm of : Biosynthesis of proinsulin at the edge of non-foldability provides a key determinant of "diabesity" as a pandemic disease of civilization.
Topics: Diabetes Mellitus; Evolution, Molecular; Humans; Insulin; Mutation; Proinsulin; Protein Folding
PubMed: 34659132
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.754693 -
Genome Biology Sep 2022Non-coding genetic variants that influence gene transcription in pancreatic islets play a major role in the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D), and likely also...
BACKGROUND
Non-coding genetic variants that influence gene transcription in pancreatic islets play a major role in the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D), and likely also contribute to type 1 diabetes (T1D) risk. For many loci, however, the mechanisms through which non-coding variants influence diabetes susceptibility are unknown.
RESULTS
We examine splicing QTLs (sQTLs) in pancreatic islets from 399 human donors and observe that common genetic variation has a widespread influence on the splicing of genes with established roles in islet biology and diabetes. In parallel, we profile expression QTLs (eQTLs) and use transcriptome-wide association as well as genetic co-localization studies to assign islet sQTLs or eQTLs to T2D and T1D susceptibility signals, many of which lack candidate effector genes. This analysis reveals biologically plausible mechanisms, including the association of T2D with an sQTL that creates a nonsense isoform in ERO1B, a regulator of ER-stress and proinsulin biosynthesis. The expanded list of T2D risk effector genes reveals overrepresented pathways, including regulators of G-protein-mediated cAMP production. The analysis of sQTLs also reveals candidate effector genes for T1D susceptibility such as DCLRE1B, a senescence regulator, and lncRNA MEG3.
CONCLUSIONS
These data expose widespread effects of common genetic variants on RNA splicing in pancreatic islets. The results support a role for splicing variation in diabetes susceptibility, and offer a new set of genetic targets with potential therapeutic benefit.
Topics: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Exodeoxyribonucleases; Humans; Islets of Langerhans; Proinsulin; Protein Isoforms; RNA Splicing; RNA, Long Noncoding
PubMed: 36109769
DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02757-0