Abstract
THE membrane potential of pancreatic islet cells varies with the extracellular D-glucose concentration1, from about −33 mV at zero glucose to about −16 mV at 28 mM, and 3–17 mM D-glucose induces bursts of rhythmic depolarisations with an amplitude of a few mV. Similar observations have been obtained2, but with a membrane potential of about −60 mV in the absence of glucose. Comparisons of various sugars revealed a qualitative correlation between depolarising and insulin-releasing capacities1; continuous recordings from single islet cells revealed a quantitative correlation between spike frequency and D-glucose concentration2,3. Depolarisation of the β-cell membrane may therefore be essential for the triggering of insulin secretion1–3. We report some experiments which indicate that the diminishing effect of D-glucose on membrane potential may be caused by a decrease in K+ permeability.
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References
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SEHLIN, J., TALJEDAL, IB. Glucose-induced decrease in Rb+ permeability in pancreatic β cells. Nature 253, 635–636 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253635a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253635a0
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