OBJECTIVE The generation of mature cell types during pancreatic development depends on the expression of many regulatory and signaling proteins. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the transcriptional regulator Islet-1 (Isl-1), whose expression is first detected in the mesenchyme and epithelium of the developing pancreas and is later restricted to mature islet cells, is involved in the...

Abstract Metabolic diseases are associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 and conversely, new-onset hyperglycemia complications preexisting diabetes have been observed in patients. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis pancreatic autopsy tissue from patients using immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, RNA scope electron microscopy detected SARS-CoV-2 viral infiltration beta...

Article history: Received on: 19/03/2017 Accepted on: 12/05/2017 Available online: 30/06/2017 Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a widely used immunosuppressant in transplantation medicine. However, it has oxidative stress-induced side effects, including nephrotoxicity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance; particularly, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, accompanied by alterations of pancr...

Aged tissues usually show a decreased regenerative capacity accompanied by a decline in functionality. During aging pancreatic islets also undergo several morphological and metabolic changes. Besides proliferative and regenerative limitations, endocrine cells lose their secretory capacity, contributing to a decline in functional islet mass and a deregulated glucose homeostasis. This is linked t...

Pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1) is a transcription factor that regulates insulin expression and islet maintenance in the adult pancreas. Our recent studies demonstrate that PDX-1 is an oncogene for pancreatic cancer and is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that PDX-1 is a therapeutic target for both hormonal symptoms and tumor volume in ...

Pancreatic beta-cells constitute a well-communicating multicellular network that permits a coordinated and synchronized signal transmission within the islet of Langerhans that is necessary for proper insulin release. Gap junctions are the molecular keys that mediate functional cellular connections, which are responsible for electrical and metabolic coupling in the majority of cell types. Althou...

Amniotic epithelial cells (AECs) express Oct4, Nanog and Sox-2, which are necessary for maintaining the undifferentiated state of pluripotent stem cells. AECs additionally express CK19, which is a specific marker of epithelial cells, both in vivo and in vitro. In this research, we investigated the biological characteristics and potential for cell therapy of AECs from 6-day-old chicken embryos. ...

The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasing dramatically and new treatment modalities are needed urgently. Arising from autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic ┚cells, T1D manifests itself when less than 10-20% of functional ┚-cells remain in the islets and is characterized as a disorder of glucose regulation due to the insufficient production of insulin. Insulin is a hormone secreted...

Islet transplantation is a promising cure for diabetes. However, inflammation, allorejection, and recurrent autoimmune damage all may contribute to early graft loss. Pancreatic islets express lower levels of antioxidant genes than most other tissues of the body, and beta-cells in particular are sensitive to oxidative damage. Therefore, damage from oxidative stress may pose a major obstacle to i...

A histological investigation was made to elucidate whether mammalian (ovine) prolactin can induce mitotic activity in pancreatic islet cell (in splenic lobe) of chicks. Prolactin treatment in different dosages (total dosage: 15, 50 and 100 IU per bird in 10 days) increased the mitotic frequency and also caused hypertrophy in the AF-positive cells of the B-islets in the splenic lobe. The increas...