Phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase serves as a metabolic sensor and regulates priming of secretory granules in pancreatic beta cells.

Insulin secretion is controlled by the beta cell's metabolic state, and the ability of the secretory granules to undergo exocytosis increases during glucose stimulation in a membrane potential-independent fashion. Here, we demonstrate that exocytosis of insulin-containing secretory granules depends on phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI 4-kinase) activity and that inhibition of this enzyme suppresses glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Intracellular application of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P(2)] stimulated exocytosis by promoting the priming of secretory granules for release and increasing the number of granules residing in a readily releasable pool. Reducing the cytoplasmic ADP concentration in a way mimicking the effects of glucose stimulation activated PI 4-kinase and increased exocytosis whereas changes of the ATP concentration in the physiological range had little effect. The PI(4,5)P(2)-binding protein Ca(2+)-dependent activator protein for secretion (CAPS) is present in beta cells, and neutralization of the protein abolished both Ca(2+)- and PI(4,5)P(2)-induced exocytosis. We conclude that ADP-induced changes in PI 4-kinase activity, via generation of PI(4,5)P(2), represents a metabolic sensor in the beta cell by virtue of its capacity to regulate the release competence of the secretory granules.