Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Human Pseudoislet System for Synchronous Assessment of Fluorescent Biosensor Dynamics and Hormone Secretory Profiles
Published on: November 3, 2023
Regulation of hormone-sensitive lipase in islets
Wen-Jun Shen1, Yu Liang, Jenny Wang
1Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Wen-Jun.Shen@stanford.edu
Abstract:
An unique isoform of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is expressed in beta-cells. Recent findings suggest that HSL could be involved in the regulation of glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), however, these findings are controversial. To test the hypothesis that HSL is involved in control of normal GSIS via changes in its expression and/or activity in response to stimuli, we examined the effects of free fatty acid (FFA) loading and glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) stimulation on the regulation of HSL expression and activity. With prolonged FFA loading, there was increased expression of beta-cell HSL and increased HSL hydrolytic activity in clonal beta-cells. Short-term treatment with GLP-1 increased HSL activity without changing the expression of the beta-cell isoform of HSL. Basal insulin secretion was increased, whereas GLP-1 potentiation of GSIS was decreased in islets isolated from HSL-/- mice, as compared to islets from wild type mice. Furthermore, using PancChip 2.2 cDNA microarrays (NIDDK consortium), the gene expression profile in the islets of HSL-/- mice was compared with wild type mice. Results showed changes in several metabolic pathways due to changes in lipid homeostasis caused by inactivation of HSL. Quantitative PCR for selected genes also revealed changes in genes that are related to insulin secretion, such as UCP-2. Therefore, these results suggest that the beta-cell isoform of HSL is involved in maintaining lipid homeostasis in islets and contributes to the proper control of GSIS.
Related Concept Videos
Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion
Insulin and C-peptide are co-secreted in...
Insulin Secretory Vesicles
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
Insulin: The Receptor and Signaling Pathways
Glucagon-like Receptor Agonists
GLP-1, when administered in high doses intravenously, triggers insulin secretion, inhibits glucagon release, slows gastric emptying, reduces food intake, and restores normal insulin secretion. However, its rapid inactivation by the...
Regulation of Hormone Secretion
Humoral stimuli,...

