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A full biphasic insulin response is the most sensitive index for well-coupled beta-cell signal transduction. While first-phase insulin response is extremely sensitive to potentiating and inhibiting modulations, full expression of second-phase response requires near maximally activated beta-cell fuel metabolism. In the isolated rat pancreas, accelerated calcium entry or activation of protein kinase (PK)-A or PKC result in no insulin response in the absence of fuel metabolism. At submaximal levels of beta-cell fuel secretagogue, arginine (which promotes calcium entry) or glucagon (which activates PKA) produces a small first-phase insulin response but minimal or no second-phase response; carbachol (which activates PKC and promotes calcium entry) generates biphasic insulin response in the presence of minimal fuel (3.3 mmol/l glucose). Glucagon produces full biphasic response in the presence of 10.0 mmol/l glucose, whereas arginine requires near-maximal stimulatory glucose (16.7 mmol) to produce full biphasic insulin response. Thus, PKA and PKC signal pathways potentiate primary signals generated by fuel secretagogues to induce full biphasic insulin response, while calcium recruitment alone is insufficient to potentiate primary signals generated at low levels of fuel secretagogue. We suggest that three families of PKs (calmodulin-dependent PK [CaMK], PKA, and PKC) function as distal amplifiers for stimulus-secretion coupling signals originating from fuel metabolism, as well as from incretins acting through membrane receptors, adenylate cyclase, and phospholipase C. Several isoenzymes of PKA and PKC are present in pancreatic beta-cells, but the specific function of most is still undefined. Each PK isoenzyme is activated and subsequently phosphorylates its specific effector protein by binding to a highly specific anchoring protein. Some diabetes-related beta-cell derangements may be linked to abnormal function of one or more PK isoenzymes. Identification and characterization of the specific function of the individual PK isoenzymes may provide the tool to improve the insulin response of the diabetic patient.