β cells produce, store, and secrete insulin upon elevated blood glucose levels. Insulin secretion is a highly regulated process. The probability for insulin secretory granules to undergo fusion with the plasma membrane or being degraded is correlated with their age. However, the molecular features and stimuli connected to this behavior have not yet been fully understood. Furthermore, our understanding of β cell function is mostly derived from studies of ex vivo isolated islets in rodent models. To overcome this translational gap and study insulin secretory granule turnover in vivo, we have generated a transgenic pig model with the SNAP-tag fused to insulin. We demonstrate the correct targeting and processing of the tagged insulin and normal glycemic control of the pig model. Furthermore, we show specific single- and dual-color granular labeling of in vivo-labeled pig pancreas. This model may provide unprecedented insights into the in vivo insulin secretory granule behavior in an animal close to humans.
GrantsEuropean Fund for Regional Development Core Facility of the CMCB Technology Platform at TU Dresden German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) German Research Council DZD by the BMBF German Research Foundation (DFG) Agence Nationale de la Recherche Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertak-ing European Union's Framework Program Horizon 2020 European Federation of Pharmacological Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) International Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering DFG Light Microscopy Facility