Endocrine Pancreas Flashcards
What is the major function of the endocrine pancreas?
Regulate glucose, fatty acids, and a.a. metabolism
How are endocrine cells of the pancreas arranged in?
clusters - islets of langerhans (1-2% of pancreatic mass)
Each Islet contains 2500 cells
What are the islets of Langerhans innervated by?
adrenergic, cholinergic, and peptidergic neurons
Describe beta cells of the pancreas
60-65% of the islet
secrete insulin and C peptide
Tend to be located in the central core
Describe alpha cells of the pancreas
20% of islet
Secrete glucagon
tend to be located near the periphery of the islet
Describe delta cells of the pancreas
5% of the islet
Secrete somatostatin
Interspersed between alpha and beta cells
neuronal appearance, send dendrite-like processes to beta cells
What do gap junctions permit in islets of Langerhans?
rapid cell-to-cell communication
a-a
b-b
a-b
Describe the blood supply in the islets of Langerhans
islets receive about 10% of total pancreatic blood flow
Blood flows first to capillaries in the center and pick up insulin beta cells
Blood flows to periphery of islets, and bathes the other types of cells
What is the main stimulatory factor of insulin secretion
Glucose
insulin secreted in response to carbohydrate and/or protein-containing meal
Describe preproinsulin
4 peptides (signal peptide, A and B chains of insulin, and connecting peptide: C peptide)
Describe proinsulin
no signal peptide
C peptide still attached to insulin
Disulfide bridges form in ER
Packed into secretory vesicles in the Golgi
What happens to proinsulin while being packed into secretory vesicles
proteases cleave proinsulin
Insulin and cleaved C peptide packed together
What is C peptide used to test for?
Test Beta cell function in type I DM pts receiving insulin injections
What transporter does Glucose use to get into beta cells of the pancreas?
GLUT 2
How does Glucose cause Insulin to be secreted?
Glucose enters the cell
Glucose –(glucokinase)->G6P
Oxidation leads to ATP increase
ATP increase closes K channels causes the membrane to depolarize and open Ca channels
Increase intracellular Ca causes exocytosis of insulin and C peptide
What do sulfonylurea drugs do?
promote the closing of ATP-dependent K channels
This increases insulin secretion; used in the treatment of type II DM
How much C peptide is secreted compared to insulin?
in equimolar and is excreted unchanged in urine
Glucose stimulates insulin secretion in a _____ manner
biphasic
What type of receptor is the insulin receptor?
Tyrosine kinase receptor
Insulin-receptor complex is internalized by its target cell. What downregulates the receptor?
Insulin itself
How often is insulin released from the pancreas?
release oscillates with a period of 3-6 min
Blood concentration from 800 pmol/l to 100
What Tyrosine kinase pathway activates the metabolic effects of insulin?
Ras-independent pathway
IRS->PI3K->PIP3->PKB