Metabolomics Analysis of Nutrient Metabolism in β-Cells

Publication date: Available online 17 July 2019Source: Journal of Molecular BiologyAuthor(s): Peter Spégel, Hindrik MulderAbstractThe islets of Langerhans harbor multiple endocrine cell-types that continuously respond to circulating nutrient levels in order to adjust their secretion of catabolic and anabolic hormones. Stimulus-secretion coupling in these cells is largely of metabolic nature, i.e. metabolism of nutrient fuels yields signals that trigger and amplify secretion of hormones. Hence, metabolism in this micro-organ is in a major way in control of whole-body metabolism. Therefore, insights into islet metabolism is critical to understand how secretion of insulin is regulated and why it is perturbed in type 2 diabetes.Metabolomics aims at characterizing a wide spectrum of metabolites in cells, tissues and body fluids. For this reason, this technique is well-suited to supply information on stimulus-secretion coupling. Here, we summarize metabolomics studies in islets and β-cells, highlight important discoveries that would have been difficult to make without this technology but also raise awareness of challenges and bottlenecks that curtail its use in metabolic research.Graphical abstract
Source: Journal of Molecular Biology - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research