Peri-Islet Glia Identity and Relation to β-Cell Function in Obesity

Peri-islet glial cells (PIGCs) are support cells positioned to control neuron-endocrine-vascular cell communication within the islet; however, little is known about the relationship between PIGCs and islet cell function. It has been suggested that PIGCs increase in number (termed gliosis) following β-cell toxin and autoimmune islet cell injury. Also, glial-cell line-derived neurotrophic factor overexpression promotes β-cell survival and proliferation. Our project aims to determine the relationship between increased PIGCs (via quantification of glia fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression) and β-cell function, and how this is altered in the setting of increased dietary fat. We hypothesize that metabolic stress such as diet-induced obesity promotes the activation/proliferation of PIGCs, and this process is required for the adaptive increase in β-cell function that occurs with increased metabolic demand.