20.500.12556/DKUM-91289 Network representation of multicellular activity in pancreatic islets Technical considerations for functional connectivity analysis Within the islets of Langerhans, beta cells orchestrate synchronized insulin secretion, a pivotal aspect of metabolic homeostasis. Despite the inherent heterogeneity and multimodal activity of individual cells, intercellular coupling acts as a homogenizing force, enabling coordinated responses through the propagation of intercellular waves. Disruptions in this coordination are implicated in irregular insulin secretion, a hallmark of diabetes. Recently, innovative approaches, such as integrating multicellular calcium imaging with network analysis, have emerged for a quantitative assessment of the cellular activity in islets. However, different groups use distinct experimental preparations, microscopic techniques, apply different methods to process the measured signals and use various methods to derive functional connectivity patterns. This makes comparisons between findings and their integration into a bigger picture difficult and has led to disputes in functional connectivity interpretations. To address these issues, we present here a systematic analysis of how different approaches influence the network representation of islet activity. Our findings show that the choice of methods used to construct networks is not crucial, although care is needed when combining data from different islets. Conversely, the conclusions drawn from network analysis can be heavily affected by the pre-processing of the time series, the type of the oscillatory component in the signals, and by the experimental preparation. Our tutorial-like investigation aims to resolve interpretational issues, reconcile conflicting views, advance functional implications, and encourage researchers to adopt connectivity analysis. As we conclude, we outline challenges for future research, emphasizing the broader applicability of our conclusions to other tissues exhibiting complex multicellular dynamics. islets of Langerhans beta cells calcium signaling intercellular communication functional networks myosin model Langerhansovi otočki celice beta kalcijeva signalizacija medcelična komunikacija funkcionalna omrežja true false true PLOS Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Znanstveno delo 2024-12-09 14:02:50 2024-12-09 14:02:50 2024-12-10 03:11:11 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2024 0 0 Str. 1-33 Št. 5 Letn. 20 Maj 2024 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 2024-01-03 2024-05-02 2024-05-13 577 195539971 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012130 1553-7358 RAZ_Sterk_Marko_2024.pdf RAZ_Sterk_Marko_2024.pdf 1 49939DCDA6303DCEDC499CC086910FEF 5e4bf6b75cf96ad39134f71f0bbbad531e620fa94457923813bb9460683d6b96 967b9d27-b630-11ef-a80a-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=187207 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012130 0 a80816bc-b649-11ef-a80a-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=187213 Medicinska fakulteta 0 0 0