Transient expression of botulinum neurotoxin C1 light chain differentially inhibits calcium and glucose induced insulin secretion in clonal β‐cells

We have investigated the effect of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) C1 light chain (LC) on insulin exocytosis from the clonal beta-cell line HIT-T15. In streptolysin-O permeabilized cells, the beta-cell impermeant BoNT C1 cleaved mainly syntaxin 1 and inhibited Ca2+ as well as GTPgammaS induced exocytosis. To study the effect of BoNTs in intact cells, we transiently coexpressed the BoNT LC together with a reporter gene for insulin release. BoNT C1 inhibited K+ induced insulin secretion by 95% but reduced insulin release stimulated by glucose only by 25%. Thus a component of glucose stimulated insulin release is insensitive to BoNT C1.