Browsing by Author "Crowder, Justin J."

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    Pancreatic beta cell autophagy is impaired in type 1 diabetes
    (Springer, 2021-04) Muralidharan, Charanya; Conteh, Abass M.; Marasco, Michelle R.; Crowder, Justin J.; Kuipers, Jeroen; de Boer, Pascal; Linnemann, Amelia K.; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Aims/hypothesis: Pancreatic beta cells are subjected to exogenous damaging factors such as proinflammatory cytokines or excess glucose that can cause accumulation of damage-inducing reactive oxygen species during the pathogenesis of diabetes. We and others have shown that beta cell autophagy can reduce reactive oxygen species to protect against apoptosis. While impaired islet autophagy has been demonstrated in human type 2 diabetes, it is unknown if islet autophagy is perturbed in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. We hypothesised that beta cell autophagy is dysfunctional in type 1 diabetes, and that there is a progressive loss during early diabetes development. Methods: Pancreases were collected from chloroquine-injected and non-injected non-obese diabetes-resistant (NOR) and non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Age- and BMI-matched pancreas tissue sections from human organ donors (N = 34) were obtained from the Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD). Tissue sections were stained with antibodies against proinsulin or insulin (beta cell markers), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 A/B (LC3A/B; autophagosome marker), lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1; lysosome marker) and p62 (autophagy adaptor). Images collected on a scanning laser confocal microscope were analysed with CellProfiler and ImageJ. Secondary lysosomes and telolysosomes were assessed in electron micrographs of human pancreatic tissue sections (n = 12), and energy dispersive x-ray analysis was performed to assess distribution of elements (n = 5). Results: We observed increased autophagosome numbers in islets of diabetic NOD mice (p = 0.008) and increased p62 in islets of both non-diabetic and diabetic NOD mice (p < 0.001) vs NOR mice. There was also a reduction in LC3-LAMP1 colocalisation in islets of diabetic NOD mice compared with both non-diabetic NOD (p < 0.001) and NOR mice (p < 0.001). Chloroquine elicited accumulation of autophagosomes in the islets of NOR (p = 0.003) and non-diabetic NOD mice (p < 0.001), but not in islets of diabetic NOD mice; and stimulated accumulation of p62 in NOR (p < 0.001), but not in NOD mice. We observed reduced LC3-LAMP1 colocalisation (p < 0.001) in residual beta cells of human donors with type 1 diabetes vs non-diabetic participants. We also observed reduced colocalisation of proinsulin with LAMP1 in donors with type 1 diabetes (p < 0.001). Electron microscopy also revealed accumulation of telolysosomes with nitrogen-dense rings in beta cells of autoantibody-positive donors (p = 0.002). Conclusions/interpretation: We provide evidence of islet macroautophagy/crinophagy impairment in human type 1 diabetes. We also document accumulation of telolysosomes with peripheral nitrogen in beta cells of autoantibody-positive donors, demonstrating altered lysosome content that may be associated with lysosome dysfunction before clinical hyperglycaemia. Similar macroautophagy impairments are present in the NOD mouse model of type 1 diabetes.
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    Stabilization protects islet integrity during respirometry in the Oroboros Oxygraph-2K analyzer
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022) Crowder, Justin J.; Zeng, Ziqian; Novak, Alissa N.; Alves, Nathan J.; Linnemann, Amelia K.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Metabolic dysfunction of β-cells has been implicated as a contributor to diabetes pathogenesis, and efforts are ongoing to optimize analytical techniques that evaluate islet metabolism. High-resolution respirometry offers sensitive measurements of the respiratory effects of metabolic substrates and customizable manipulation of electron transport chain components, though the delicate nature of islets can pose challenges to conventional analyses. An affordable and reliable option for respirometry is the Oroboros Oxygraph-2 K system, which utilizes a stir bar to circulate reagents around cells. While this technique may be suitable for individual cells or mitochondria, the continual force exerted by the stir bar can have damaging effects on islet integrity. Herein, we demonstrate the protective benefits of a novel 3D-printed islet stabilization device and highlight the destructive effects of conventional Oxygraph analysis on islet integrity. Islet containment did not inhibit cellular responses to metabolic modulatory drugs, as indicated by robust fluctuations in oxygen consumption rates. The average size of wild-type mouse islets was significantly reduced following a standard Mito Stress Test within Oxygraph chambers, with a clear disruption in islet morphology and viability. Alternatively, containment of the islets within the interior chamber of the islet stabilization device yielded preservation of both islet morphology and increased cell viability/survival after respirometry analysis. Collectively, our study introduces a new and easily accessible tool to improve conventional Oxygraph respirometry of pancreatic islets by preserving natural islet structure and function throughout metabolic analysis.