Diabetes causes marked inhibition of mitochondrial metabolism in pancreatic β-cells

Journal article

Diabetes is a global health problem caused primarily by the inability of pancreatic β-cells to secrete adequate levels of insulin. The molecular mechanisms underlying the progressive failure of β-cells to respond to glucose in type-2 diabetes remain unresolved. Using a combination of transcriptomics and proteomics, we find significant dysregulation of major metabolic pathways in islets of diabetic βV59M mice, a non-obese, eulipidaemic diabetes model. Multiple genes/proteins involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis are upregulated, whereas those involved in oxidative phosphorylation are downregulated. In isolated islets, glucose-induced increases in NADH and ATP are impaired and both oxidative and glycolytic glucose metabolism are reduced. INS-1 β-cells cultured chronically at high glucose show similar changes in protein expression and reduced glucose-stimulated oxygen consumption: targeted metabolomics reveals impaired metabolism. These data indicate hyperglycaemia induces metabolic changes in β-cells that markedly reduce mitochondrial metabolism and ATP synthesis. We propose this underlies the progressive failure of β-cells in diabetes.

Authors: Haythorne, E; Rohm, M; Van De Bunt, M; Brereton, MF; Tarasov, AI

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1
• Article number: 2474
• Publication date: 2019-06-06
• Acceptance date: 2019-04-12
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10189-x
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• Pmid: 31171772
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR