Insulin secretion by a transplantable rat islet cell tumour

Investigation of the subcellular and molecular components of insulin secretion has been made difficult by the small quantities of material available. The recent development of a transplantable rat islet cell tumour of high insulin content and state of differentiation suggested a system more amenable to analysis. To validate the tumour as a model of secretion we have studied its release of insulin. In acute experiments in vitro immunoreactive insulin release was increased by leucine, glucagon, theophylline and dibutyryl cyclic AMP, though not by glucose. Leucine (20 mmol/l) plus theophylline (5 mmol/l) caused an abrupt, sustained and rapidly reversible stimulation of two- to fivefold. The response was inhibited by antagonists of cellular oxidative phosphorylation (cyanide, 2,4-dinitrophenol, antimycin A), calcium flux (EGTA, verapamil, Mg2+), calmodulin (trifluoperazine), microtubules (vinblastine, colchicine) and by adrenaline and somatostatin. These findings suggest that the tumour secretes insulin by an exocytotic mechanism similar to that of normal islet tissue.