Energy Homeostasis - The Endocrine Pancreas Flashcards
What are pancreatic islet cells made up of? (4)
- Alpha cells
- Beta cells
- Delta cells
- PP cells
Islet cells are a rich ____ supply
Capillary
Blood flow in the islet cell?
From the center of the islet cell to the periphery
Cell type making up 70% of pancreatic islet?
Beta cell
Cell type making up 20% of pancreatic islet?
Alpha cell
Cell type making up 5-10% of pancreatic islet?
Delta cell
Hormone secreted by alpha cell?
Glucagon
Hormone secreted by beta cell?
Insulin
Hormone secreted by delta cell?
Somatostatin
Hormone secreted by PP cell?
Pancreatic polypeptide
General functions of alpha cell? (2)
- Increase blood glucose
- Make stored energy available
General functions of beta cell? (2)
- Decrease blood glucose
- Cause entry of glucose into cells
General function of delta cells?
Inhibits release of other islet hormones
What kind of feedback loop is glucose homeostasis?
Negative feedback loop
What happens if glucose drops under 3 mmol/L?
- Insulin secretion rapidly drops
- Epinephrine and glucagon secretion increase
Why is hypoglycemia immediately much more harmful than hyperglycemia?
Multiple hormones increase blood glucose, but only one (insulin) drops it
Where in the beta cell does insulin synthesis take place?
Islets of Langerhans
Insulin transcription
Transcription of insulin gene (INS) into mRNA in beta-cell nucleus
Insulin mRNA processing (3)
- Capping
- Splicing
- Polyadenylation
Insulin translation (2)
- mRNA exits nucleus => cytoplasm and binds to ribosomes
- Ribosomes assemble polypeptide chain
What is the polypeptide chain that is synthesized by the ribosome in the beta cell called?
Pro-insulin
What domains does pro-insulin contain? (3)
- A chain
- B chain
- Connecting C-peptide
What happens as the proinsulin polypeptide elongates?
Folds into a 3D structure
Where does proinsulin undergo post-translational modification?
Within the ER and Golgi
What happens during pro-insulin processing?
Cleavage of C-peptide = mature insulin + C-peptide
Once processed, mature insulin molecules are packaged into what?
Secretory vesicles
What are the enzymes and proteins in secretory vesicles necessary for?
Regulation of insulin secretion