Primary cilia sensitize insulin receptor-mediated negative feedback in pancreatic β cells

Insulin receptors (IR) can localize to the primary cilia of pancreatic {beta} cells. Because primary cilia are known to sensitize or bias the signaling of cell surface receptors, we investigate how ciliary insulin receptors influence glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in {beta} cells by gauging how cytosolic calcium concentration changes in a mouse insulinoma cell line (MIN6). Purified recombinant insulin suppresses calcium elevation in response to glucose in these cells. Interestingly, ciliated cells show attenuated cytosolic calcium elevation compared to cilium-free cells after glucose stimulation even in the absence of exogenous insulin. We observe that ciliary IR is highly phosphorylated, and the phospho-IR density decreases when cells are either treated with an insulin receptor (IR) inhibitor, BMS536924, or ciliary function is disrupted through either IFT88 or BBS1 knockdown. Consistently, the attenuation of calcium elevation in ciliated cells is abrogated when cells are either treated with IR inhibitor or when primary cilia are impaired. We further demonstrate that ciliary IR signaling hyperpolarizes the plasma membrane but has no apparent impact on glucose-induced ATP production. Thus, our results argue that primary cilia sensitize insulin receptor signaling and mediate negative feedback in GSIS in pancreatic {beta} cells.