Immunohistochemical Localization of the Glucocorticoid Receptor in Pancreatic β- Cells of the Rat*
Abstract
We used a monoclonal antibody against an epitope located in the N-terminal moiety of the rat glucocorticoid receptor to identify the glucocorticoid receptor-containing cells in the rat pancreas. Monospecific polyclonal antisera against insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and amylase were applied to serial sections in colocalization studies to identify the respective endocrine and exocrine cells. Glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactivity was exclusively present in nuclei and cytoplasm of the beta-cells of pancreatic islets. Western blots using the glucocorticoid receptor antibody resulted in identical 94K immunoreactive proteins in both liver and pancreas. After adrenalectomy, the glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactivity of beta-cells decreased significantly. A computer-assisted method of semiquantitative evaluation of the glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactivity demonstrated a significant decrease in the staining intensity of the beta-cells by 23.5% and in that of insulin antibodies by 10.4%, while amylase immunoreactivity was only slightly decreased. Serum levels of corticosterone determined by RIA decreased from 225 micrograms/ml in sham-operated animals to 55 micrograms/ml in animals 14 days after adrenalectomy, while the tissue content of amylase decreased by 45%. The immunohistochemical findings give circumstantial evidence of the presence of glucocorticoid receptor in beta-cells. We interpret our data as indicating an indirect effect of glucocorticoids on amylase synthesis via a glucocorticoid-insulin-exocrine cell pathway.
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Glucocorticoid receptors are present on β-cells.
“As GC receptors are known to be present on â-cells,29,30 it is possible that GCs may also exert direct stimulatory and inhibitory effects on insulin secretion.”
From Twenty‐four‐hour profiles of plasma glucose, insulin, C‐peptide and free fatty acid in subjects with varying degrees of glucose tolerance following short‐term, medium‐dose prednisone (20 mg/day) treatment: evidence for differing effects on insulin secretion and action (2012) · cites this paper as [29]
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“However, since glucocorticoid receptors are present in p cells (58, 121), another potential target for the diabetogenic effects of glucocorticoids has been proposed to be the pancreatic p cell.”
- Authors
- FISCHER, B., RAUSCH, U., WOLLNY, P., WESTPHAL, H., SEITZ, J., & AUMULLER, G.
- Affiliations
- Philipps University of Marburg (DE)
- Venue
- Endocrinology
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 1990-05
- Volume
- 126
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 2635-2641
- ISSN
- 0013-7227 (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7170
- OpenAlex
- W2074874980
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2022: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Endocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Pancreatic function and diabetes
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Keywords
- glucocorticoid receptor, pancreatic beta cells, pancreatic islets, adrenalectomy, corticosterone, amylase, insulin, exocrine pancreas
- MeSH terms
- Adrenalectomy, Amylases, Animals, Cell Nucleus, Corticosterone, Cytoplasm, Immunohistochemistry, Islets of Langerhans, Liver, Male, Molecular Weight, Pancreas, Rats, Inbred Strains, Receptors, Glucocorticoid, Blotting, Western, Rats
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