The role of autophagy in pancreatic β-cell and diabetes

Pancreatic beta-cells play a key role in glucose homeostasis in mammals. Although large-scale protein synthesis and degradation occur in pancreatic beta-cells, the mechanism underlying dynamic protein turnover in beta-cells remains largely unknown. We found low-level constitutive autophagy in beta-cells of C57BL/6 mice fed a standard diet; however, autophagy was markedly upregulated in mice fed a high-fat diet. beta-cells of diabetic db/db mice contained large numbers of autophagosomes, compared with nondiabetic db/misty controls. The functional importance of autophagy was analyzed using beta-cell-specific Atg7 knockout mice. Autophagy-deficient mice showed degeneration of beta-cells and impaired glucose tolerance with reduced insulin secretion. While a high-fat diet stimulated beta-cell autophagy in control mice, it induced a profound deterioration of glucose intolerance in beta-cell autophagy-deficient mutants, partly because of the lack of a compensatory increase in beta-cell mass. These results suggest that the degradation of unnecessary cellular components by autophagy is essential for maintenance of the architecture and function of beta-cells. Autophagy also serves as a crucial element of stress responses to protect beta-cells under insulin-resistant states. Impairment of autophagic machinery could thus predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes.