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Beta cells produce insulin in stages. The first stage is the production of proinsulin. Proinsulin is a molecule composed of a protein chain of 81 amino acids, which is a precursor of insulin.

Beta cells of the pancreas making process proinsulin to insulin by enzymatic removal of C-peptide, which is a structure of 30 amino acids that connects the A and B chains (21 and 30 amino acids, respectively).

C-peptide has no known function. However, it is secreted in the same quantities as insulin and, in fact, it circulates in the blood longer than insulin, making it a precise quantitative marker of beta cell function. Thus, normal levels of C-peptide suggest a relatively normal secretion of the pancreas.

Insulin is stored in secretory granules in beta cells, which are prepared for release in the bloodstream, in response to stimulation of an increasing concentration of glucose in blood. A normally functioning pancreas can manufacture and release daily from 40 to 50 units of insulin. It also has several hundred units stored and available to be segregated as needed.

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