Pancreatic Beta Cell Imaging Reveals a Connection to the Nervous System

Malfunctions of tiny cell extensions (primary cilia*) in the beta cells of the pancreas may be a cause of type 2 diabetes. Little is known about the structure and function of these cilia. An international research team led by scientists from the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden (PLID) at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and Helmholtz Munich at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus of the Technical University of Dresden has used various new imaging techniques to visualize primary cilia in their natural environment. Their research not only provides detailed insights into the structure of these cilia but also reveals their connection to the nervous system. The results have now been published in Nature Communications.

The beta cells of the pancreas are responsible for releasing the hormone insulin, which is essential for the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream. Various factors can impair the ability of these cells to produce insulin, potentially leading to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Recent studies suggest that dysfunction of the primary cilia in beta cells may also be a contributing factor to T2D.

Most cells in our body have immobile primary cilia. These small extensions are stabilized by a framework of tubular protein rods called microtubules. Cilia help cells receive and transmit external signals. An international team from PLID, a partner of Helmholtz Munich and the DZD, Human Technopole in Italy, the Janelia Research Campus, and Yale University in the USA, investigated the structure and function of primary cilia in beta cells. Led by Dr. Andreas Müller, a senior scientist at PLID (Director: Prof. Michele Solimena) and the study’s first author, the researchers used imaging techniques such as volume electron microscopy (vEM), 3D segmentation, and ultrastructural expansion microscopy (U-ExM) to visualize the three-dimensional shape of primary cilia in beta cells within their natural environment.