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Information about Beta Cell

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A porcine islet of Langerhans. The left image is a brightfield image created using hematoxylin stain; nuclei are dark circles and the acinar pancreatic tissue is darker than the islet tissue. The right image is the same section stained by immunofluorescence against insulin, indicating beta cells.
Beta cells (beta-cells, β-cells) are a type of cell in the pancreas in areas called the islets of Langerhans. They make up 65-80% of the cells in the islets.

Function

Beta cells make and release insulin, a hormone that controls the level of glucose in the blood. There is a baseline level of insulin maintained by the pancreas, but it can respond quickly to spikes in blood glucose by releasing stored insulin while simultaneously producing more. The response time is fairly quick, taking approximately 10 minutes.

Apart from insulin, beta cells release C-peptide, a byproduct of insulin production, into the bloodstream in equimolar quantities. Measuring the levels of C-peptide can give a practitioner an idea of the viable beta cell mass.[1]

β-cells also produce amylin,[2] also known as IAPP, islet amyloid polypeptide, a protein with unknown function.

Pathology

Research

Much research is being done in the field of beta-cell physiology and pathology. One major research topic is its effects on diabetes. Many researchers are trying to find ways to use these beta-cells to help control or prevent diabetes. A major topic is the replication of adult beta-cells and the application of these to diabetes. The Larry L. Hillblom Islet Research Center at UCLA[5] is a leading research center in the field, within the Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center.[6]

A team science effort also exists, known as the Beta Cell Biology Consortium (BCBC).[7] The BCBC is responsible for facilitating interdisciplinary approaches that will advance the understanding of pancreatic islet development and function. The long-term goal of the BCBC is to develop a cell-based therapy for insulin delivery.

See also

References

1. ^ Hoogwerf B, Goetz F (1983). "Urinary C-peptide: a simple measure of integrated insulin production with emphasis on the effects of body size, diet, and corticosteroids". J Clin Endocrinol Metab 56 (1): 60-7. PMID 6336620. 
2. ^ Moore C, Cooper G (1991). "Co-secretion of amylin and insulin from cultured islet beta-cells: modulation by nutrient secretagogues, islet hormones and hypoglycemic agents". Biochem Biophys Res Commun 179 (1): 1-9. PMID 1679326. 
3. ^ (1995) "U.K. prospective diabetes study 16. Overview of 6 years' therapy of type II diabetes: a progressive disease. U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study Group". Diabetes 44 (11): 1249-58. PMID 7589820. 
4. ^ Rudenski A, Matthews D, Levy J, Turner R (1991). "Understanding "insulin resistance": both glucose resistance and insulin resistance are required to model human diabetes". Metabolism 40 (9): 908-17. PMID 1895955. 
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ [2]
7. ^ [3]

External links

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Endocrine system > Pancreas
Islets of Langerhans:  alpha cell (glucagon) • beta cell (insulin)  • delta cell (somatostatin) • PP cell (pancreatic polypeptide) • epsilon cell (ghrelin)
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The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine systems of vertebrates<ref name="New Standard" />. It is both exocrine (secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes) and endocrine (producing several important hormones, including
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The endocrine (i.e., hormone-producing) cells of the pancreas are grouped in the islets of Langerhans. Discovered in 1869 by the German pathological anatomist Paul Langerhans, the islets of Langerhans constitute approximately 1 to 2% of the mass of the pancreas.
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''Note: This article title may be easily confused with inulin.


Insulin is an animal hormone whose presence informs the body's cells that the animal is well fed, causing liver and muscle cells to take in glucose and store it in the form of glycogen, and
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hormone (from Greek όρμή - "to set in motion") is a chemical messenger that carries a signal from one cell (or group of cells) to another. All multicellular organisms produce hormones (including plants - see phytohormone).
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Glucose (Glc), a monosaccharide (or simple sugar), is an important carbohydrate in biology. The living cell uses it as a source of energy and metabolic intermediate.
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C-peptide is a peptide which is made when proinsulin is split into insulin and C-peptide. They split when proinsulin is released from the pancreas into the blood in response to a rise in serum glucose - one C-peptide for each insulin molecule.
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Amylin, or Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (IAPP), is a 37-residue peptide hormone secreted by pancreatic β-cells at the same time as insulin (in a roughly 100:1 ratio).

Function

Amylin functions as part of the endocrine pancreas and contributes to glycemic control.
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Diabetes mellitus type 1
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 E10
ICD-9 250.x1, 250.x3

OMIM 222100
DiseasesDB 3649
MedlinePlus 000305
eMedicine med/546  
MeSH D003922 Diabetes mellitus type 1
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Diabetes mellitus type 2 (formerly called diabetes mellitus type II, non insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM), obesity related diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes) is a metabolic disorder that is primarily characterized by insulin resistance, relative insulin deficiency, and
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Insulin resistance
Classification & external resources

eMedicine med/1173  

MeSH C18.452.394.968.500

Insulin resistance
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MeSH D007340 An insulinoma is a tumour of the pancreas derived from the beta cells which while retaining the ability to synthesize and secrete insulin is autonomous of the normal feedback mechanisms.
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Benign (from the Latin roots bene- = "well" and -genus = "born"), a polyvalent term (refer ), is employed with a specific denotation as a medical term in medical discourse to describe a mild and nonprogressive disease.
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MeSH D007003 Hypoglycemia (hypoglycaemia in British English) is a medical term referring to a pathologic state produced by a lower than normal level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. The term hypoglycemia literally means "under-sweet blood" (Gr.
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Gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptors (GIPRs) are seven-transmembrane proteins found on beta-cells in the pancreas.[1][2]

They bind gastric inhibitory polypeptide.

References

1.

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This page lists and explains terms connected with diabetes.

: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

  • ACE inhibitor - A class of drugs used to decrease hypertension, mainly by interfering with renein cycle

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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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1. Pineal gland 2. Pituitary gland 3. Thyroid gland 4. Thymus 5. Adrenal gland 6. Pancreas 7. Ovary 8. Testes]]

The endocrine system
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The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine systems of vertebrates<ref name="New Standard" />. It is both exocrine (secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes) and endocrine (producing several important hormones, including
..... Click the link for more information.
The endocrine (i.e., hormone-producing) cells of the pancreas are grouped in the islets of Langerhans. Discovered in 1869 by the German pathological anatomist Paul Langerhans, the islets of Langerhans constitute approximately 1 to 2% of the mass of the pancreas.
..... Click the link for more information.
Alpha cells are endocrine cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. They make up 15-20% of the cells in the islets. They are responsible for synthesizing and secreting the peptide hormone glucagon, which elevates the glucose levels in the blood.
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Glucagon is an important hormone involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Produced by the pancreas, it is released when the glucose level in the blood is low (hypoglycemia), causing the liver to convert stored glycogen into glucose and release it into the bloodstream.
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''Note: This article title may be easily confused with inulin.


Insulin is an animal hormone whose presence informs the body's cells that the animal is well fed, causing liver and muscle cells to take in glucose and store it in the form of glycogen, and
..... Click the link for more information.
Delta cells (δ-cells or D cells) are somatostatin producing cells.

They can be found in the stomach, intestine and the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.
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Somatostatin (also known as growth hormone inhibiting hormone (GHIH) or somatotropin release-inhibiting hormone (SRIF)) is a peptide hormone that regulates the endocrine system and affects neurotransmission and cell proliferation via interaction with
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PP cells are pancreatic polypeptide producing cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. They have a polygonal shape.

Using an electron microscope, PP-cells have been found to be up to 140 nm in diameter.
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Pancreatic polypeptide is a polypeptide secreted by PP cells in the endocrine pancreas predominantly in the head of the pancreas. It consists of 36 amino acids and has molecular weight about 4200 Da.

Pancreatic polypeptide is a cholecystokinin antagonist.
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Epsilon cells (ε-cells) are endocrine cells found in the Islets of Langerhans and produce the hormone ghrelin. They were recently discovered in mice.

References

[1]


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Ghrelin is a hormone produced by P/D1 cells lining the fundus of the human stomach that stimulate appetite.[1] In rodents, X/A-like cells produce ghrelin. Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after meals.
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