Probing b-Cell Biology in Space and Time

Abstract

b-Cells in the islet of Langerhans have a central role in maintaining energy homeostasis. Understanding the physiology of b-cells and other islet cells requires a deep understanding of their structural and functional organiza-tion, their interaction with vessels and nerves, the layout of paracrine interactions, and the relationship between subcellular compartments and protein complexes inside each cell. These elements are not static; they are dynamic and exert their biological actions at different scales of time. Therefore, scientists must be able to investigate (and visualize) short-and long-lived events within the pancreas and b-cells. Current technological advances in microscopy are able to bridge multiple spatiotemporal scales in biology to reveal the complexity and heterogeneity of b-cell biology. Here, I briefly discuss the historical discoveries that leveraged microscopes to establish the basis of b-cell anatomy and structure, the current imaging platforms that allow the study of islet and b-cell biology at multiple scales of resolution, and their challenges and implications. Lastly, I outline how the remarkable longev-ity of structural elements at different scales in biology, from molecules to cells to multicellular structures, could represent a previously unrecognized organizational pat-tern in developing and adult b-cells and pancreas biology.