Calcium Current Inactivation Rather than Pool Depletion Explains Reduced Exocytotic Rate with Prolonged Stimulation in Insulin-Secreting INS-1 832/13 Cells

Impairment in beta-cell exocytosis is associated with reduced insulin secretion and diabetes. Here we aimed to investigate the dynamics of Ca²⁺-dependent insulin exocytosis with respect to pool depletion and Ca²⁺-current inactivation. We studied exocytosis, measured as increase in membrane capacitance (ΔC_m), as a function of calcium entry (Q) in insulin secreting INS-1 832/13 cells using patch clamp and mixed-effects statistical analysis. The observed linear relationship between ΔC_m and Q suggests that Ca²⁺-channel inactivation rather than granule pool restrictions is responsible for the decline in exocytosis observed at longer depolarizations. INS-1 832/13 cells possess an immediately releasable pool (IRP) of ∼10 granules and most exocytosis of granules occurs from a large pool. The latter is attenuated by the calcium-buffer EGTA, while IRP is unaffected. These findings suggest that most insulin release occurs away from Ca²⁺-channels, and that pool depletion plays a minor role in the decline of exocytosis upon prolonged stimulation.