Summary
Isolated islets of Langerhans from mice were maintained in tissue culture for one week at either a high (28 mM) or a low (3.3 mM) extracellular glucose concentration. Electron microscopic morphometry by means of stereological methods revealed a much greater volume of mitochondria in islet cells cultured at low glucose than in those cultured at high glucose. The former islets also showed a higher activity of the mitochondrial marker enzyme, L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (E.C.1.1.1.35). These results indicate a true mitochondrial hypertrophy at the low glucose concentration. Although it is known from previous studies that the islet cell metabolism is diminished after low-glucose culture, the present observations of an increased mitochondrial volume probably do not reflect a degenerative process, but rather adaptive changes towards oxidation of energy yielding substrates other than glucose.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson, A.: Long-term effects of glucose on insulin release and glucose oxidation by mouse pancreatic islets maintained in tissue culture. Biochem. J. 140, 377–382 (1974 a)
Andersson, A., Borglund, E., Brolin, S.: Effects of glucose on the content of ATP and glycogen and the rate of glucose phosphorylation of isolated pancreatic islets maintained in tissue culture. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 56, 1045–1051 (1974b)
Andersson, A., Gunnarson, R., Hellerström, C.: Tissue culture of isolated mouse pancreatic islets: Long-term effects of a low extracellular glucose concentration on glucose metabolism and insulin biosynthesis and release. Endocrinology, in press (1975)
Andersson, A., Hellerström, C.: Metabolic characteristics of isolated pancreatic islets in tissue culture. Diabetes 21, Suppl. 2, 546–554 (1972)
Andersson, A., Westman, J., Hellerström, C.: Effects of glucose on the ultrastructure and insulin biosynthesis of isolated mouse pancreatic islets maintained in tissue culture. Diabetologia 10, 743–753 (1974c)
Cochran, W. G.: Sampling techniques, 2nd ed., p. 157–159. New York: John Wiley & Sons 1963
Dean, P. M.: Ultrastructural morphometry of the pancreatic β-cell. Diabetologia 9, 115–119 (1973)
Ebbesson, S. O., Tang, D. B.: A comparison of sampling procedures in a structured cell population. In: Stereology (Elias, H., ed.), p. 131–132. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1967
Glagoleff, A.: On the geometrical methods of quantitative mineralogical analysis of rocks. Trans. Inst. Econom. Mineral. 59, 1–47 (1933)
Gollnick, P. D., King, D. W.: Effect of exercise and training on mitochondria of rat skeletal muscle. Amer. J. Physiol. 216, 1502–1509 (1969)
Hammar, H., Berne, C.: The activity of β-Hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase in the pancreatic islets of hyperglycaemic mice. Diabetologia 6, 526–528 (1970)
Hennig, A.: Bestimmung der Oberfläche beliebig geformter Körper mit besonderer Anwendung auf Körperhaufen im mikroskopischen Bereich. Mikroskopie 11, 1–20 (1956)
Holloszy, J. O.: Biochemical adaptations in muscle. Effects of exercise on mitochondrial oxygen uptake and respiratory enzyme activity in skeletal muscle. J. biol. Chem. 242, 2278–2282 (1967)
Holmes, A. H.: Petrographic methods and calculations, p. 317. London: Murby & Co. 1921
Howell, S. L., Taylor, K. W.: Potassium ions and the secretion of insulin by islets of Langerhans incubated in vitro. Biochem. J. 108, 17–24 (1968)
Hultquist, G., Pontén, J.: Ultrastructure of rat pancreatic islets in long term tissue culture. Upsala J. med. Sci. 79, 21–27 (1974)
Kraus, H., Kirsten, R., Wolff, J. R.: Die Wirkung von Schwimm- und Lauftraining auf die celluläre Funktion und Struktur des Muskels. Pflügers Arch. 308, 57–79 (1969)
Lowry, O. H.: The quantitative histochemistry of the brain, histological sampling. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 1, 420–428 (1953)
Lowry, O. H., Roberts, N. R., Kapphahn, J. L.: The fluorometric measurements of pyridine nucleotides. J. biol. Chem. 224, 1047–1064 (1957)
Luft, J. H.: Improvements in epoxy resin embedding methods. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol. 9, 409–414 (1961)
Reynolds, E. S.: The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electonopaque stain in electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol. 17, 208–212 (1963)
Sulkin, N. M., Sulkin, D.: Mitochondrial alterations in liver cells following vitamin E-deficiency. In: Electron microscopy, vol. 2 (Breese, S. S., Jr., ed.), p. VV-8 Fifth International Congress for Electron Microscopy. New York: Academic Press 1962
Tandler, B., Erlandson, R. A., Smith, A. L., Wynder, E. L.: Riboflavin and mouse hepatic cell structure and function. Division of mitochondria during recovery from simple deficiency. J. Cell Biol. 41, 477–493 (1969)
Tandler, B., Erlandson, R. A., Wynder, E. L.: Riboflavin and mouse hepatic cell structure and function. Ultrastructural alterations in simple deficiency. Amer. J. Path. 52, 69–95 (1968)
Tomkeieff, S. I.: Linear intercepts, areas and volumes. Nature (Lond.) 155, 24 (1945)
Underwood, E. E.: A standardized system of notation for stereologists. Stereologia 3, 5 (1964)
Watson, M. L.: Staining of tissue sections for electron microscopy with heavy metals. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol. 4, 475–478 (1958)
Weibel, E. R.: Principles and methods for the morphometric study of the lung and other organs. Lab. Invest. 12, 131–155 (1963)
Weibel, E. R.: Stereological principles for morphometry in electron microscopic cytology. Int. Rev. Cytol. 26, 235–302 (1969)
Weibel, E. R., Gomez, D. M.: A principle for counting tissue structures on random sections. J. appl. Physiol. 17, 343–348 (1962)
Weibel, E. R., Kistler, G. S., Scherle, W. F.: Pratical Stereological methods for morphometric stereology. J. Cell Biol. 30, 23–38 (1966)
Wilson, J. W., Leduc, E. H.: Mitochondrial changes in the liver of essential fatty aciddeficient mice. J. Cell Biol. 16, 281–296 (1963)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Valuable financial support from the Swedish Diabetes Association, the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation, the University of Uppsala and the Swedish Medical Research Council is greatefully acknowledged.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Borg, L.A.H., Andersson, A., Berne, C. et al. Glucose dependent alterations of mitochondrial ultrastructure and enzyme content in mouse pancreatic islets maintained in tissue culture. Cell Tissue Res. 162, 313–321 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220177
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220177