Islet structure and function in the GK rat

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) arises when the endocrine pancreas fails to secrete sufficient insulin to cope with the metabolic demand because of β-cell secretory dysfunction and/or decreased β-cell mass. Defining the nature of the pancreatic islet defects present in T2D has been difficult, in part because human islets are inaccessible for direct study. This review is aimed to illustrate to what extent the Goto–Kakizaki rat, one of the best characterized animal models of spontaneous T2D, has proved to be a valuable tool offering sufficient commonalities to study this aspect. A comprehensive compendium of the multiple functional GK islet abnormalities so far identified is proposed in this perspective. The pathogenesis of defective β-cell number and function in the GK model is also discussed. It is proposed that the development of T2D in the GK model results from the complex interaction of multiple events: (i) several susceptibility loci containing genes responsible for some diabetic traits (distinct loci encoding impairment of β-cell metabolism and insulin exocytosis, but no quantitative trait locus for decreased β-cell mass); (ii) gestational metabolic impairment inducing an epigenetic programming of the offspring pancreas (decreased β-cell neogenesis and proliferation) transmitted over generations; and (iii) loss of β-cell differentiation related to chronic exposure to hyperglycemia/hyperlipidemia, islet inflammation, islet oxidative stress, islet fibrosis, and perturbed islet vasculature.