Recombinant protein CCN5/WISP2 promotes islet cell proliferation and survival in vitro

Abstract

Pancreatic ß cell proliferation, survival and function are key elements that need to be considered in developing novel antidiabetic therapies. We recently identified CCN5/WISP2 to have potential growth promoting properties when overexpressed in ß cells; however, further investigations are needed to validate those properties. In this study, we demonstrated that exogenous treatment of insulinoma cells and primary islets with recombinant CCN5 (rh-CCN5) protein enhanced the proliferative capacity which was correlated with activation of cell-cycle regulators CDK4 and cyclin D1. Furthermore, pre-incubation of these cells with rh-CCN5 enhanced their survival rate after being exposed to harsh treatments such as streptozotocin and high concentrations of glucose and free fatty acids. CCN5 as well caused an upregulation in the expression of key genes associated with ß cell identity and function such as GLUT-2 and GCK. Finally, CCN5 activated FAK and downstream ERK kinases which are known to stimulate cell proliferation and survival. Hence, our results validate the growth promoting activities of rh-CCN5 in ß cells and open the door for further investigations in vivo.

Keywords:

• Diabetes
• ß cells
• proliferation
• survival
• insulin secretion

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Author contributions

N.K. performed all experiments, presented the data, and wrote the manuscript. Z.D helped in some of the experiments and corresponding analysis. J.-L.L. designed the study, revised the manuscript, and approved the final revision. Z.G. helped in designing and analysis of the data.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by NSERC grant RGPIN-2017-05246 and RI-MUHC bridge fund to JLL.