NMDA receptor inhibition increases, synchronizes, and stabilizes the collective pancreatic beta cell activity: Insights through multilayer network analysis.

ABSTRACT: NMDA receptors promote repolarization in pancreatic beta cells and thereby reduce glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Therefore, NMDA receptors are a potential therapeutic target for diabetes. While the mechanism of NMDA receptor inhibition in beta cells is rather well understood at the molecular level, its possible effects on the collective cellular activity have not been addressed to date, even though proper insulin secretion patterns result from well-synchronized beta cell behavior. The latter is enabled by strong intercellular connectivity, which governs propagating calcium waves across the islets and makes the heterogeneous beta cell population work in synchrony. Since a disrupted collective activity is an important and possibly early contributor to impaired insulin secretion and gl

SUBMITTER: Sterk M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8139480 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature