β-cell-selective inhibition of DNA damage response signaling by nitric oxide is associated with an attenuation in glucose uptake.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a dual role in regulating DNA damage response (DDR) signaling in pancreatic β-cells. As a genotoxic agent, NO activates two types of DDR signaling; however, when produced at micromolar levels by the inducible isoform of NO synthase, NO inhibits DDR signaling and DDR-induced apoptosis in a β-cell-selective manner. DDR signaling inhibition by NO correlates with mitochondrial oxidative metabolism inhibition and decreases in ATP and NAD. Unlike most cell types, β-cells do not compensate for impaired mitochondrial oxidation by increasing glycolytic flux, and this metabolic inflexibility leads to a decrease in ATP and NAD. Here, we used multiple analytical approaches to determine changes in intermediary metabolites in β-cells and non-β-cells treated with NO or complex I inhibitor rotenone. In addition to ATP and NAD, glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates as well as NADPH are significantly decreased in β-cells treated with NO or rotenone. Consistent with glucose-6-phosphate residing at the metabolic branchpoint for glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway (NADPH), we show that mitochondrial oxidation inhibitors limit glucose uptake in a β-cell-selective manner. Our findings indicate that the β-cell-selective inhibition of DDR signaling by NO is associated with a decrease in ATP to levels that fall significantly below the K for ATP of glucokinase (glucose uptake) and suggest that this action places the β-cell in a state of suspended animation where it is metabolically inert until NO is removed, and metabolic function can be restored.