Activation of GLP-1 and gastrin signalling induces in vivo reprogramming of pancreatic exocrine cells into beta cells in mice

作者：Sasaki Shugo; Miyatsuka Takeshi^*; Matsuoka Taka aki; Takahara Mitsuyoshi; Yamamoto Yuichi; Yasuda Tetsuyuki; Kaneto Hideaki; Fujitani Yoshio; German Michael S; Akiyama Haruhiko; Watada Hirotaka; Shimomura Iichiro

来源：Diabetologia, 2015, 58(11): 2582-2591.

DOI：10.1007/s00125-015-3728-z

• Beta cell neogenesis
• Gastrin
• GLP-1
• GLP-1 receptor

Aims/hypothesis Lineage conversion of non-beta cells into insulin-producing cells has been proposed as a therapy for the cure of diabetes. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and its derivatives can induce beta cell neogenesis in vitro and beta cell mass expansion in vivo, but GLP-1 signalling has not been shown to regulate cell fate decisions in vivo. We therefore tested the impact of GLP-1 receptor (GLP1R) expression on beta cell differentiation in vivo.
Methods Mice overexpressing GLP1R in pancreatic exocrine cells were generated by Cre-mediated recombination in sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9)-expressing cells and then treated with exendin-4 and/or gastrin. Histological analysis was performed to detect cellular reprogramming from the exocrine lineage into insulin-producing cells.
Results Whereas no newly generated beta cells were detected in the mice treated with exendin-4 alone, treatment with gastrin only induced the conversion of exocrine cells into insulin-producing cells. Furthermore, the overexpression of GLP1R, together with gastrin and exendin-4, synergistically promoted beta cell neogenesis accompanied by the formation of islet-like clusters. These newly generated beta cells expressed beta cell specific transcription factors, such as pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX1), NK6 homeobox 1 (NKX6.1) and musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene family A (MafA). These mice showed no histological evidence of pancreatitis or pancreatic dysplasia in their acini and had normal plasma amylase levels.
Conclusions/interpretation Activation of GLP-1 and gastrin signalling induces beta cell neogenesis in the exocrine lineage without any deleterious pancreatic changes, which may lead to a potential therapy to cure diabetes by generating surrogate beta cells.

• 出版日期2015-11