Henquin, Jean-Claude
[UCL]
Jonas, Jean-Christophe
[UCL]
Gilon, Patrick
[UCL]
Several aspects of pancreatic beta cell function display marked oscillations even during continuous stimulation with a stable glucose concentration. This review article focuses on the characteristics, mechanisms and potential roles of the oscillations of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration [(Ca2+]i) in beta cells. These oscillations result from an intermittent influx of Ca2+ through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels activated by periodic depolarizations of the plasma membrane. In each islet, [Ca2+]i oscillations are synchronous in all beta cells and trigger similar oscillations of insulin secretion. Changes in [Ca2+]i are thought to play a minute-to-minute regulatory role in secretion, but the effectiveness of Ca2+ on the secretory process is markedly influenced by various amplification mechanisms. It is still unclear whether the oscillations of [Ca2+]i reflect functional advantages for the beta cell itself or are simply necessary to ensure oscillations of plasma insulin levels through pulsatile secretion of the hormone.
Bibliographic reference |
Henquin, Jean-Claude ; Jonas, Jean-Christophe ; Gilon, Patrick. Functional significance of Ca2+ oscillations in pancreatic beta cells. In: Diabetes & Metabolism, Vol. 24, no. 1, p. 30-36 (1998) |
Permanent URL |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/28250 |