Potentiation of Glucose-stimulated Insulin Secretion by the GPR40-PLC-TRPC Pathway in Pancreatic β-Cells

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are expressed in pancreatic beta-cells. G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) contributes to medium-or long-chain fatty acid-induced amplification of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), and GPR40 agonists are promising therapeutic targets in type 2 diabetes. Recently, we demonstrated that glucagon-like peptide 1, a ligand of pancreatic GPCR, activates a class of nonselective cation channels (NSCCs) and enhances GSIS. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the GPR40 signal interacts with NSCCs. A GPR40 agonist (fasiglifam) potentiated GSIS at 8.3 and 16.7 mM glucose but not 2.8 mM glucose. The NSCC current was activated by fasiglifam at 5.6 mM glucose with 100 mu M tolbutamide (-70 mV), and this activation was prevented by the presence of pyrazole-3 (transient receptor potential canonical; a TRPC3 channel blocker). Inhibitors of phospholipase C or protein kinase C (PKC) inhibited the increases in GSIS and the NSCC current induced by GPR40 stimulation. The present study demonstrates a novel mechanism for the regulation of insulin secretion by GPR40 agonist in pancreatic beta-cells. The stimulation of the GPR40-PLC/PKC-TRPC3 channel pathway potentiates GSIS by the depolarization of the plasma membrane in pancreatic beta-cell.