ryanodine and Obesity

Pancreatic beta-cells from obese-hyperglycemic (ob/ob) mice are widely used for studying the mechanisms of insulin release, including its regulation by the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). In this study, we compared changes of [Ca2+]i in single beta-cells isolated from ob/ob mice with those from lean mice using dual-wavelength microfluorometry and the indicator fura-2. There were no differences in the frequency, amplitude, and half-width of the slow oscillations induced by glucose. Most beta-cells from the obese mice responded to 10 mM caffeine with transformation of the oscillations into sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i, a process counteracted by ryanodine. The beta-cells from the obese mice were characterized by ample generation of [Ca2+]i transients, which increased in number in the presence of glucagon. The transients became less frequent when leptin was added at a concentration as low as 1 nM. It is suggested that the excessive firing of [Ca2+]i transients in the ob/ob mice is owing to the absence of leptin and is mediated by activation of the phospholipase C signaling pathway.

Topics: Animals; Caffeine; Calcium; Cytoplasm; Glucagon; Hyperglycemia; Islets of Langerhans; Leptin; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Obese; Obesity; Ryanodine; Signal Transduction; Type C Phospholipases

Depressed myofibrillar Ca2+-ATPase activity and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ uptake are important mechanisms that are responsible for the cardiac dysfunction exhibited by insulin-deficient (type I) diabetic animals. The JCR:LA-cp rat is a model for type II non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). This rat is insulin resistant, obese, and has high levels of circulating glucose, cholesterol, insulin, and triglycerides. The purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in cardiac myofibrillar, SR, and cardiomyocyte function exist in this model of type II diabetes. Myofibrils and SR were isolated from hearts by differential centrifugation. Surprisingly, we found that myofibrillar Ca2+-ATPase activities were unaltered in these animals. Ca2+ uptake in isolated SR fractions was increased in diabetic cp/cp rats, whereas Ca2+-ATPase activity and ryanodine binding were unchanged. Cardiomyocytes isolated from hearts of control and experimental animals had similar active cell shortening and intracellular Ca2+ concentration under basal conditions and in response to caffeine. Our data argue against the presence of a cardiomyopathy in this diabetic model and suggest that insulin may be an important factor in the cardiomyopathy observed in type I diabetic models.

Topics: Animals; Caffeine; Calcium; Calcium-Transporting ATPases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Heart; Insulin Resistance; Intracellular Membranes; Male; Myocardial Contraction; Myocardium; Myofibrils; Obesity; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Ryanodine; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum