Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2010 Nov;59(11):2735-6.
doi: 10.2337/db10-1238.

The welcome resurgence of the α-cell: a pro glucagon commentary

R Paul Robertson  1
Affiliations
Comment

The welcome resurgence of the α-cell: a pro glucagon commentary

R Paul Robertson. Diabetes. 2010 Nov.
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Regulation of glucagon secretion by zinc. Left panel: α-cell electrical and hormonal status in states of physiological and elevated glucose conditions. β-cells release zinc and insulin hexamers into the intraislet periportal circulation. Zinc dissociates from insulin and reaches downstream α-cells where it binds to and opens the KATP channels. K+ ions leave the cell and hyperpolarize the α-cell, thus preventing voltage-dependent calcium channels from opening. Glucagon granules are not mobilized and remain stored inside the cell. Right panel: When blood glucose levels decrease in response to exogenous insulin, β-cell insulin and zinc secretion decrease as well. KATP channels on α-cells close, K+ remains in the cell, and the α-cell depolarizes, which induces calcium channels to open, and calcium enters the cell. Intracellular calcium rises, which induces glucagon exocytotic granules to migrate to the plasma membrane where they fuse and release glucagon into the portal venous system. (Reproduced from Slucca et al. [6]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

References

    1. Banarer S, McGregor VP, Cryer PE. Intraislet hyperinsulinemia prevents the glucagon response to hypoglycemia despite an intact autonomic response. Diabetes 2002;51:958–965 - PubMed
    1. Zhou H, Tran PO, Yang S, Zhang T, LeRoy E, Oseid E, Robertson RP. Regulation of alpha cell function by the beta cell during hypoglycemia in Wistar rats: the “switch-off” hypothesis. Diabetes 2004;53:1482–1487 - PubMed
    1. Gromada J, Franklin I, Wollheim CB. Alpha-cells of the endocrine pancreas: 35 years of research but the enigma remains. Endocrine Reviews 2007;28:84–116 - PubMed
    1. Cooperberg BA, Cryer PE. Insulin reciprocally regulates glucagon secretion in humans. Diabetes 2010;59:2936–2940 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhou H, Zhang T, Harmon JS, Bryan J, Robertson RP. Zinc, not insulin, regulates the rat alpha-cell response to hypoglycemia in vivo. Diabetes 2007;56:1107–1112 - PubMed