Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Slo1

Title: Mathematical modeling demonstrates how multiple slow processes can provide adjustable control of islet bursting.

Authors: Margaret Watts, Joël Tabak, Richard Bertram

Journal, date & volume: Islets, 2011 Nov-Dec , 3, 320-6

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21934356

Abstract
Pancreatic islets exhibit bursting oscillations that give rise to oscillatory Ca (2+) entry and insulin secretion from β-cells. These oscillations are driven by a slowly activating K (+) current, Kslow, which is composed of two components: an ATP-sensitive K (+) current and a Ca (2+) -activated K (+) current through SK4 channels. Using a mathematical model of pancreatic β-cells, we analyze how the factors that comprise Kslow can contribute to bursting. We employ the dominance factor technique developed recently to do this and demonstrate that the contributions the slow processes make to bursting are non-obvious and often counterintuitive, and that their contributions vary with parameter values and are thus adjustable.