Pancreatic α and β cells are globally phase-locked

Huixia Ren, Yanjun Li, Chengsheng Han, Yi Yu, Bowen Shi, Xiaohong Peng, Tianming Zhang, Shufang Wu, Xiaojing Yang, Sneppen Kim, Liangyi Chen () and Chao Tang ()
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Huixia Ren: Peking University
Yanjun Li: Peking University
Chengsheng Han: Peking University
Yi Yu: Peking University
Bowen Shi: Peking University
Xiaohong Peng: Peking University
Tianming Zhang: Peking University
Shufang Wu: Peking University
Xiaojing Yang: Peking University
Sneppen Kim: University of Copenhagen
Liangyi Chen: Peking University
Chao Tang: Peking University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract The Ca2+ modulated pulsatile glucagon and insulin secretions by pancreatic α and β cells play a crucial role in glucose homeostasis. However, how α and β cells coordinate to produce various Ca2+ oscillation patterns is still elusive. Using a microfluidic device and transgenic mice, we recorded Ca2+ signals from islet α and β cells, and observed heterogeneous Ca2+ oscillation patterns intrinsic to each islet. After a brief period of glucose stimulation, α and β cells’ oscillations were globally phase-locked. While the activation of α cells displayed a fixed time delay of ~20 s to that of β cells, β cells activated with a tunable period. Moreover, islet α cell number correlated with oscillation frequency. We built a mathematical model of islet Ca2+ oscillation incorporating paracrine interactions, which quantitatively agreed with the experimental data. Our study highlights the importance of cell-cell interaction in generating stable but tunable islet oscillation patterns.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31373-6

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