Any perturbation in the function of pancreatic islets can lead to metabolic problems, including diabetes. The ability of pancreatic islet cells to respond to external stimuli, such as changes in blood glucose concentration, involves many proteins, which must be correctly and constantly synthetized. This work provided new evidences supporting the importance of a correct protein biosynthesis of islet cells, and relatively new technics to assess it. It highlighted the correlation between secretion and protein biosynthesis, and the role of intercellular contacts within islets. Finally, it contributed to the identification of key pathways and proteins that might be involved in the development of diabetes.