Permissive effect of glucose on the glucagon-induced accumulation of cAMP in isolated rat pancreatic islets.

Glucose stimulation increased the cAMP content of collagenase-isolated rat pancreatic islets fourfold above baseline values. The elevation was transient, lasting about 5 min, and was dose-dependent. Insulin release continued at a constant rate throughout the incubation. Glucagon, in the absence of glucose, increased cAMP for about 1 min but only slightly, and had no effect on insulin release. In the presence of glucose, however, glucagon enhanced islet cAMP content 15-fold and increased the release of insulin. Glucagon was most effective at high glucose concentrations (16.6 and 25 mM). This indicates that glucagon is critically dependent on the presence of glucose in order to increase the islet cAMP content and to stimulate insulin release. The inability of glucagon to generate sufficient cAMP in the absence of glucose might be one of the reasons why the hormone is a potentiator rather than an initiator of insulin release.