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Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of Calcium Dynamics in Acute Mouse Pancreatic Tissue Slices
Published on: April 13, 2021
The bile acid-sensive ion channel (BASIC) is expressed in pancreatic α-cells and involved in glucagon secretion
Jingyu Yang1, Stefan Gründer1, Dominik Wiemuth2
1Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, D-52074, Aachen, Germany.
Abstract:
Pancreatic α-cells play a key role in glucose homeostasis through glucagon secretion. Here, we discover that the bile acid-sensitive ion channel (BASIC), a Na+ channel of the DEG/ENaC family, has a hitherto unrecognized role in α-cell function. We found that BASIC is mainly expressed in glucagon-positive α-cells of mouse islets. Genetic ablation of BASIC in mice reduced α-cell number, glucagon expression, and glucagon serum levels. These dramatic changes were accompanied by disturbed expression of α-cell specific transcription factors. Our findings identify BASIC as a previously unknown regulator of α-cell physiology.
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