Novel Players in Pancreatic Islet Signaling

Abstract

Glucose and other nutrients regulate many aspects of pancreatic islet physiology. This includes not only insulin release, but also insulin synthesis and storage and other aspects of β-cell biology, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and gene expression. This implies that in addition to the well-described signals for insulin release, other intracellular signaling mechanisms are needed. Here we describe the role of global and local Ca2+ signals in insulin release, the regulation of these signals by new membrane receptors, and the generation of nuclear Ca2+ signals involved in gene expression. An integrated view of these pathways should improve the present description of the β-cell biology and provide new targets for novel drugs.