Vanderbilt University Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Imaging the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion

The islet of Langerhans is the functional unit responsible for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.  We are interested in understanding the multicellular mechanisms of islet function, and their role in the regulation of blood glucose under normal and pathological conditions.  In many ways, the islet appears to function as a syncytium, which exhibits synchronous behavior across all b-cells in the islet.  In other ways, the islet works as individual cells, especially in the regulation of gene transcription.  Using quantitative optical imaging of membrane potential, free Ca2+, and enzymatic activation, the dynamics of these molecular mechanisms can be measured in living cells within intact islets.