Excess pancreatic elastase alters acinar- β cell communication by impairing the mechano-signaling and the PAR2 pathways

Cell Metab. 2023 Jun 16:S1550-4131(23)00184-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.05.007. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTType 1 (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) are caused by a deficit of functional insulin-producing β cells. Thus, the identification of β cell trophic agents could allow the development of therapeutic strategies to counteract diabetes. The discovery of SerpinB1, an elastase inhibitor that promotes human β cell growth, prompted us to hypothesize that pancreatic elastase (PE) regulates β cell viability. Here, we report that PE is up-regulated in acinar cells and in islets from T2D patients, and negatively impacts β cell viability. Using high-throughput screening assays, we identified telaprevir as a potent PE inhibitor that can increase human and rodent β cell viability in vitro and in vivo and improve glucose tolerance in insulin-resistant mice. Phospho-antibody microarrays and single-cell RNA sequencing analysis identified PAR2 and mechano-signaling pathways as potential mediators of PE. Taken together, our work highlights PE as a potential regulator of acinar-β cell crosstalk that acts to limit β cell viability, leading to T2D.PMID:37339634 | DOI:10.1016/j.cmet.2023.05.007

Source: Cell Metabolism - June 20, 2023 Category: Cytology Authors: Giorgio Basile Amedeo Vetere Jiang Hu Oluwaseun Ijaduola Yi Zhang Ka-Cheuk Liu Amira M Eltony Dario F De Jesus Kazuki Fukuda Grace Doherty Colin A Leech Oleg G Chepurny George G Holz Seok-Hyun Yun Olov Andersson Amit Choudhary Bridget K Wagner Rohit N Kul Source Type: research