N-Acyl taurines trigger insulin secretion by increasing calcium flux in pancreatic beta-cells

• Pancreatic beta-cells secrete insulin in response to various stimuli to control blood glucose levels. This insulin release is the result of a complex interplay between signaling, membrane potential and intracellular calcium levels. Various nutritional and hormonal factors are involved in regulating this process. N-Acyl taurines are a group of fatty acids which are amidated (or conjugated) to taurine and little is known about their physiological functions. In this study, treatment of pancreatic beta-cell lines (HIT-T15) and rat islet cell lines (INS-1) with N-acyl taurines (N-arachidonoyl taurine and N-oleoyl taurine), induced a high frequency of calcium oscillations in these cells. Treatment with N-arachidonoyl taurine and N-oleoyl taurine also resulted in a significant increase in insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cell lines as determined by insulin release assay and immunofluorescence (p < 0.05). Our data also show that the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel is involved in insulin secretion in response to N-arachidonoyl taurine and N-oleoyl taurine treatment. However our data also suggest that receptors other than TRPV1 are involved in the insulin secretion response to treatment with N-oleoyl taurine.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

N-Arachidonoyl taurine

N-Oleoyl taurine

Insulin secretion

Transient receptor potential vanilloid

receptor 1 (TRPV1)

Pancreatic beta-cells

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)