Endocrine pancreas

Question 1

What is the structure and organisation of the endocrine pancreas?

Answer 1

Beta-cells make up 55% of Islets and are rather scattered in the islet

Question 2

What is the role of beta cells and insulin secretion in the regulation of whole body glucose homeostasis?

Question 3

What is the counter-regulatory role of glucagon secretion from alpha cells?

Answer 3

Question 4

How is glucose sensed in beta cells? What are the essential molecular components of beta-cell glucose sensing?

Answer 4

Potassium ATP channels

Question 5

What is the MOA of sulfonylurea and what are its limitations thereby?

Question 6

Describe the relationship between insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis?

Answer 6

Question 7

How do the alpha cells sense glucose in low/high glucose respectively?

Question 8

What would dysregulated glucagon secretion cause?

Question 9

What are characteristics of insulin, glucagon and other hormones?

Answer 9

· Production as an inactive prohormone precursor.
* Processed via classical secretory pathway (via Golgi)*. [precursor cleavage]
* Stimulus-secretion coupling.
* Soluble factor.
* Dose dependent effect at target tissue.
* Sufficiently-short serum half life.

Question 10

What is the function of somatostatin 14 in pancreas and through what manner?

Answer 10

Paracrine regulator from delta cell, suppresses beta and alpha cell function