Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2025
08:47
Live Images of GLUT4 Protein Trafficking in Mouse Primary Hypothalamic Neurons Using Deconvolution Microscopy
Published on: December 7, 2017
9.8K
Small but mighty: microexons in glucose homeostasis
Kristle Garcia1, Anna L Gloyn2
1Department of Genetics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Trends in Genetics : TIG
|April 20, 2023
Summary
Pancreatic islet cells use a neuron-derived regulatory program involving microexon alternative splicing. This process impacts genes crucial for insulin secretion and diabetes risk, shedding light on blood glucose homeostasis.
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Endocrinology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Blood glucose homeostasis is vital for health.
- Mechanisms regulating glucose levels are not fully understood.
- Alternative splicing is a key gene regulatory mechanism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate novel molecular mechanisms in pancreatic islet cells.
- To explore the role of alternative splicing in glucose homeostasis.
- To identify regulatory programs shared between neurons and islet cells.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of gene expression data from pancreatic islets.
- Identification and characterization of alternative splicing events.
- Comparison of regulatory programs between neuronal and islet cells.
Main Results:
- Pancreatic islet cells employ a regulatory program involving alternative splicing of microexons.
- This program affects genes critical for insulin secretion.
- The identified program was previously characterized in neurons.
Conclusions:
- A neuron-derived regulatory program, utilizing alternative splicing of microexons, is active in pancreatic islet cells.
- This mechanism influences genes associated with insulin secretion and diabetes risk.
- Findings reveal a conserved molecular strategy for cellular regulation with implications for metabolic diseases.
More Related Videos
10:35Extracellular Glucose Depletion as an Indirect Measure of Glucose Uptake in Cells and Tissues Ex Vivo
Published on: April 6, 2022
2.8K
07:29Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation
Published on: December 29, 2023
701
Related Concept Videos
01:02Glucose Homeostasis: Regulation of Blood Glucose
1.8K
Carbohydrates consumed through foods are converted into glucose, a crucial energy source for the body. In the prandial state, high blood glucose levels stimulate the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. Insulin inhibits hepatic glucose production and stimulates glucose uptake and metabolism by muscle and adipose tissue. The excess glucose is converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles.
During fasting, when blood glucose levels are low, the pancreas secretes glucagon. it...
During fasting, when blood glucose levels are low, the pancreas secretes glucagon. it...
1.8K
01:26Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine
31.9K
Complex carbohydrates consumed cannot be absorbed into the small intestine in their original form. First, they must be hydrolyzed to a monosaccharide form such as glucose or galactose. These monosaccharides are then transported across the intestinal membrane and into the blood via transcellular transport. The intestinal epithelial cells allow the movement of these monosaccharides with a defined 'entry' through membrane transporter proteins present on their apical membrane and...
31.9K
01:27Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion
1.4K
The pancreatic islets comprising only 1%-2% of the volume are highly vascularized and innervated mini-organs. They contain five endocrine cell types, including β cells that secrete insulin, which is synthesized as a single polypeptide chain, preproinsulin, processed to proinsulin, and finally to insulin and C-peptide. This process is complex and regulated, involving the Golgi complex, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the secretory granules of the β cell.
Insulin and C-peptide are...
Insulin and C-peptide are...
1.4K
01:16Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose
3.6K
Insulin is released by beta cells of the pancreas when blood glucose levels are high. It facilitates glucose absorption and utilization in insulin-dependent cells with insulin receptors on their plasma membranes. Insulin promotes glucose uptake by increasing the number of glucose transport proteins in the cell membrane, allowing glucose to enter the cell. As a result, glucose utilization and ATP production are enhanced.
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
3.6K
01:30Membrane Proteins
20.8K
Plasma membranes have integral transmembrane proteins involved in facilitated transport. These proteins are collectively referred to as transport proteins, and they function as either channels for the material or as carriers themselves. Channel proteins have hydrophilic domains exposed to the intracellular and extracellular fluids and a hydrophilic channel through their core that provides a hydrated opening for solutes to pass through the membrane layers. Passage through the channel allows...
20.8K
01:58Cell Specific Gene Expression
13.7K
Multicellular organisms contain a variety of structurally and functionally distinct cell types, but the DNA in all the cells originated from the same parent cells. The differences in the cells can be attributed to the differential gene expression. Liver cells, whose functions include detoxification of blood, production of bile to metabolize fats, and synthesis of proteins essential for metabolism, must express a specific set of genes to perform their functions. Gene expression also varies with...
13.7K