Alternative form of glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypepide and its physiology

Glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypepide (GIP) was first extracted from porcine gut mucosa and identified as “incretin” decades ago. Though early studies have shown the possible GIP isoforms by gel filtration profiles from porcine or human intestinal extracts analyzed by radioimmunoassay (RIA), GIP is currently believed to consist of 42 amino acids (GIP1‐42), which are released from gut K‐cells and promote postprandial insulin release. In fact, GIP1‐42 is usually processed from proGIP by the action of prohormone convertase (PC) 1/3 in the gut. GIP expression is occasionally found in the intestinal glucagon‐like peptide‐1‐secreting cells, suggesting gene expression of both GIP and proglucagon can co‐exist in identical cells. However, GIP1‐42 immunoreactivity is rarely found in α‐cells or other pancreatic endocrine cells of wild‐type mammals. Interestingly, we found that short‐form GIP1‐30 is expressed in and released from pancreatic α‐cells and a subset of enteroendocrine cells through proGIP processing by PC2. GIP1‐30 is also insulinotropic and modulates glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion in a paracrine manner. It is also suggested that short‐form GIP1‐30 possibly plays a crucial role for the islet development. It has not been well elucidated whether expression of GIP1‐30 is modulated in the diabetic status, and whether GIP1‐30 might have therapeutic potentials. Our preliminary data suggest that short‐form GIP1‐30 might play important roles in glucose metabolism.