Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide signaling pathways in endothelialcells

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) potentiates glucose-induced insulin secretion. In addition, GIP has vasoconstrictive or vasodilatory pr operties depending on the vascular bed affected. In order to assess whether this effect could be related to differences in GIP receptor expression, se veral different endothelial cell types were examined far GIP receptor expre ssion. GIP receptor splice variants were detected and varied depending on t he endothelial cell type. Furthermore, stimulation of these cells with GIP led to cell type dependent differences in activation of the calcium and cAM P signaling pathways. To our knowledge this is the first physiological char acterization of receptors for GIP in endothelial cells. (C) 2000 Elsevier S cience Inc. All rights reserved.