Characterization of human islet cells: functional and transcriptional studies

胰岛在血糖调节中起核心作用。它们通过分泌几种在葡萄糖稳态中起关键作用的激素来做到这一点。此外，胰岛三角洲细胞分泌生长抑素，一种抑制胰岛素和胰高血糖素释放的肽激素。2型糖尿病包括胰岛素和胰高血糖素释放紊乱。对啮齿动物胰岛的研究揭示了血浆葡萄糖水平变化如何刺激或抑制胰岛激素分泌的基本原理。一般认为？在没有太多理由的情况下，来自啮齿动物研究的数据可以外推到人类身上。牛津的人类胰岛移植中心是英国两个胰岛隔离中心之一。通过这个中心，我们现在可以定期供应高质量的人类胰岛。在过去的两年中，我们研究了人类β细胞的电生理和分泌特性。我们发现人类β细胞在许多重要方面与小鼠β细胞不同。总的来说，迄今获得的数据表明，不可能将啮齿动物的数据外推到人类的情况。为了了解与人类2型糖尿病相关的激素分泌缺陷（啮齿动物糖尿病是一种罕见的临床疾病！），我们需要更详细地了解人类胰岛细胞的功能特征。这一信息应该与正在进行的开发新的抗糖尿病药物的努力高度相关。

Pancreatic islets play a central role in plasma glucose regulation. They do so by secreting several hormones with key role in glucose homeostasis. In addition, the islet delta-cells secrete somatostatin, a peptide hormone that inhibits both insulin and glucagon release. Type-2 diabetes involves disturbances of both insulin and glucagon release. Studies on rodent islets have revealed the fundamental principles about how changes in plasma glucose levels stimulate or inhibit pancreatic islet hormone secretion. It is generally assumed ? without much justification - that data emanating from rodent studies can be extrapolated to man. The Human Islet Transplantation Centre in Oxford is one of two islet isolation centres in the UK. Via this centre we now have regular supply of high-quality human pancreatic islets. Over the last two years, we have characterized the electrophysiological and secretory characteristics of human beta-cells. We have found that human beta-cells differ from mouse beta-cells in a number of important ways. Collectively, the data obtained so far indicate that it is not possible to extrapolate rodent data to the situation in man. In order to understand the hormone secretion defects that associate with type-2 diabetes in man (rodent diabetes is a rare clinical disorder!), we require a much more detailed picture of the functional characteristics of human islet cells. This information should be highly relevant in the ongoing efforts developing new antidiabetic medicines.