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A critical role of circadian oscillators in orchestrating insulin secretion and islet gene transcription has been demonstrated recently. However, these studies focused on whole islets and did not explore the interplay between α-cell and β-cell clocks. We performed a parallel analysis of the molecular properties of α-cell and β-cell oscillators using a mouse model expressing three reporter genes: one labeling α cells, one specific for β cells, and a third monitoring circadian gene expression. Thus, phase entrainment properties, gene expression, and functional outputs of the α-cell and β-cell clockworks could be assessed in vivo and in vitro at the population and single-cell level. These experiments showed that α-cellular and β-cellular clocks are oscillating with distinct phases in vivo and in vitro . Diurnal transcriptome analysis in separated α and β cells revealed that a high number of genes with key roles in islet physiology, including regulators of glucose sensing and hormone secretion, are differentially expressed in these cell types. Moreover, temporal insulin and glucagon secretion exhibited distinct oscillatory profiles both in vivo and in vitro. Altogether, our data indicate that differential entrainment characteristics of circadian α-cell and β-cell clocks are an important feature in the temporal coordination of endocrine function and gene expression., (© 2017 Petrenko et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

Glucose homeostasis depends on the coordinated secretion of glucagon, insulin, and Glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 by pancreas and intestine. Obesity, which is associated with an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, affects the function of these organs. Here, we investigate the functional and molecular adaptations of proglucagon-producing cells in obese mice to better define their involvement in type 2 diabetes development. We used GLU-Venus transgenic male mice specifically expressing Venus fluorochrome in proglucagon-producing cells. Mice were subjected to 16 weeks of low-fat diet or high-fat diet (HFD) and then subdivided by measuring glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in 3 groups: low-fat diet mice and I-HFD (glucose-intolerant) mice with similar HbA1c and H-HFD (hyperglycemic) mice, which exhibited higher HbA1c. At 16 weeks, both HFD groups exhibited similar weight gain, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance. However, I-HFD mice exhibited better glucose tolerance compared with H-HFD mice. I-HFD mice displayed functional and molecular adaptations of enteroendocrine L-cells resulting in increased intestinal GLP-1 biosynthesis and release as well as maintained pancreatic α- and β-cell functions. By contrast, H-HFD mice exhibited dysfunctional L, α- and β-cells with increased β- and L-cell numbers. Administration of the GLP-1R antagonist Exendin9-39 in I-HFD mice led to hyperglycemia and alterations of glucagon secretion without changes in insulin secretion. Our results highlight the cross-talk between islet and intestine endocrine cells and indicate that a compensatory adaptation of L-cell function in obesity plays an important role in preserving glucose homeostasis through the control of pancreatic α-cell functions.

Glucagon and α-cell dysfunction are critical in the development of hyperglycemia during diabetes both in humans and rodents. We hypothesized that α-cell dysfunction leading to dysregulated glucagon secretion in diabetes is due to both a lack of insulin and intrinsic defects. To characterize α-cell dysfunction in diabetes, we used glucagon-Venus transgenic male mice and induced insulinopenic hyperglycemia by streptozotocin administration leading to alterations of glucagon secretion. We investigated the in vivo impact of insulinopenic hyperglycemia on glucagon-producing cells using FACS-sorted α-cells from control and diabetic mice. We demonstrate that increased glucagonemia in diabetic mice is mainly due to increases of glucagon release and biosynthesis per cell compared with controls without changes in α-cell mass. We identified genes coding for proteins involved in glucagon biosynthesis and secretion, α-cell differentiation, and potential stress markers such as the glucagon, Arx, MafB, cMaf, Brain4, Foxa1, Foxa3, HNF4α, TCF7L2, Glut1, Sglt2, Cav2.1, Cav2.2, Nav1.7, Kir6.2/Sur1, Pten, IR, NeuroD1, GPR40, and Sumo1 genes, which were abnormally regulated in diabetic mice. Importantly, insulin treatment partially corrected α-cell function and expression of genes coding for proglucagon, or involved in glucagon secretion, glucose transport and insulin signaling but not those coding for cMAF, FOXA1, and α-cell differentiation markers as well as GPR40, NEUROD1, CAV2.1, and SUMO1. Our results indicate that insulinopenic diabetes induce marked α-cell dysfunction and molecular alteration, which are only partially corrected by in vivo insulin treatment.

The Forkhead box A transcription factors are major regulators of glucose homeostasis. They show both distinct and redundant roles during pancreas development and in adult mouse β-cells. In vivo ablation studies have revealed critical implications of Foxa1 on glucagon biosynthesis and requirement of Foxa2 in α-cell terminal differentiation. In order to examine the respective role of these factors in mature α-cells, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against Foxa1 and Foxa2 in rat primary pancreatic α-cells and rodent α-cell lines leading to marked decreases in Foxa1 and Foxa2 mRNA levels and proteins. Both Foxa1 and Foxa2 control glucagon gene expression specifically through the G2 element. Although we found that Foxa2 controls the expression of the glucagon, MafB, Pou3f4, Pcsk2, Nkx2.2, Kir6.2, and Sur1 genes, Foxa1 only regulates glucagon gene expression. Interestingly, the Isl1 and Gipr genes were not controlled by either Foxa1 or Foxa2 alone but by their combination. Foxa1 and Foxa2 directly activate and bind the promoter region the Nkx2.2, Kir6.2 and Sur1, Gipr, Isl1, and Pou3f4 genes. We also demonstrated that glucagon secretion is affected by the combined effects of Foxa1 and Foxa2 but not by either one alone. Our results indicate that Foxa1 and Foxa2 control glucagon biosynthesis and secretion as well as α-cell differentiation with both common and unique target genes.

The glucagon gene is expressed in α-cells of the pancreas, L cells of the intestine and the hypothalamus. The determinants of the α-cell-specific expression of the glucagon gene are not fully characterized, although Arx, Pax6 and Foxa2 are critical for α-cell differentiation and glucagon gene expression; in addition, the absence of the β-cell-specific transcription factors Pdx1, Pax4 and Nkx6.1 may allow for the glucagon gene to be expressed. Pax6, along with cMaf and MafB, binds to the DNA control element G(1) which confers α-cell specificity to the promoter and to G(3) and potently activates glucagon gene transcription. In addition, to its direct role on the transcription of the glucagon gene, Pax6 controls several transcription factors involved in the activation of the glucagon gene such as cMaf, MafB and NeuroD1/Beta2 as well as different steps of glucagon biosynthesis and secretion. We conclude that Pax6 independently of Arx and Foxa2 is critical for α-cell function by coordinating glucagon gene expression as well as glucagon biosynthesis and secretion., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)