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OBJECTIVE: Zinc ions are essential for the formation of hexameric insulin and hormone crystallization. A nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphism rs13266634 in the SLC30A8 gene, encoding the secretory granule zinc transporter ZnT8, is associated with type 2 diabetes. We describe the effects of deleting the ZnT8 gene in mice and explore the action of the at-risk allele. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Slc30a8 null mice were generated and backcrossed at least twice onto a C57BL/6J background. Glucose and insulin tolerance were measured by intraperitoneal injection or euglycemic clamp, respectively. Insulin secretion, electrophysiology, imaging, and the generation of adenoviruses encoding the low- (W325) or elevated- (R325) risk ZnT8 alleles were undertaken using standard protocols. RESULTS: ZnT8(-/-) mice displayed age-, sex-, and diet-dependent abnormalities in glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, and body weight. Islets isolated from null mice had reduced granule zinc content and showed age-dependent changes in granule morphology, with markedly fewer dense cores but more rod-like crystals. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, granule fusion, and insulin crystal dissolution, assessed by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, were unchanged or enhanced in ZnT8(-/-) islets. Insulin processing was normal. Molecular modeling revealed that residue-325 was located at the interface between ZnT8 monomers. Correspondingly, the R325 variant displayed lower apparent Zn(2+) transport activity than W325 ZnT8 by fluorescence-based assay. CONCLUSIONS: ZnT8 is required for normal insulin crystallization and insulin release in vivo but not, remarkably, in vitro. Defects in the former processes in carriers of the R allele may increase type 2 diabetes risks.

Original publication

DOI

10.2337/db09-0551

Type

Journal article

Journal

Diabetes

Publication Date

09/2009

Volume

58

Pages

2070 - 2083

Keywords

Animals, Blood Glucose, Cation Transport Proteins, Cytoplasmic Granules, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Exocytosis, Female, Gene Expression, HeLa Cells, Homeostasis, Humans, Insulin, Insulin Secretion, Insulin-Secreting Cells, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Polymorphism, Genetic, Risk Factors, Zinc, Zinc Transporter 8