Insulin Synthesis, secretion and action Flashcards
what is the only way in which the organism can reduce blood glucose concentration?
insulin secretion
What cells produce insulin?
beta islet cells of pancreas
what is the term for excessive secretion of insulin?
hypoglycemia
What is the primary function of the beta cell?
production, storage, and regulation of secretion of insulin
Glucagon is produced by what cells?
alpha cells
normal adult pancrease contains how many islets of langerhans?
1 million islets
what percent of the pancreas mass is made up of the islet of langerhans?
1-2%
Under what circumstances do islets of langerhans grow above average in size?
When the body becomes resistant to Insulin - more is made causing the islets to grow
where are islets mos dense in the body?
most densely in the tail of the parenchyma
do some beta cells exist outside of the islets?
Yes! They are not ALL in the islet
Describe the artery system of the islets
- Arterioles branch to form capillaries which form a tortuous complex which first supplies beta cells and then alpha cells
- Blood draining from islet enters the pancreatic vein and then the portal vein (first stop is the liver)
beef insulin differes from human insulin by what degree?
by 2 amino acids
two insulin AA chains are linked by what?
by disulfide bridges
insulin is synthesized from what precursor?
proinsulin - which is then broken down into insulin, and there is a C-peptide also broken off of it
granules full of insulin/C-peptide are trafficed to cell surface and insulin is exocytosed
where is the pre-proinsulin synthesized?
it is synthesized in the ER of the beta cell
what factors increase the biosynthesis of insulin?
- glucose
- leucine
- pyruvate
- inosine, guanosine and adenosine
- ribose
- glucagon
- pregnancy
what factors decrease insulin?
- epinephrine
- starvation
- aging
what is the half life of insulin?
5 min
what percent of insulin is degraded by the liver and kidneys?
80%