Cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions play a critical role in tissue morphogenesis and in homeostasis of adult tissues. The integrin family of adhesion receptors regulates cellular interactions with the extracellular matrix, which provides three-dimensional information for tissue organization. It is currently thought that pancreatic islet cells develop from undifferentiated progenitors residin...

Pancreatic islet endocrine cell and endothelial cell (EC) interactions mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) signaling are important for islet differentiation and the formation of highly vascularized islets. To dissect how VEGF-A signaling modulates intra-islet vasculature, islet microenvironment, and β cell mass, we transiently increased VEGF-A production by β cells. VEGF-A...

We have identified a model system for the study of pancreatic islet development and regeneration in transgenic mice bearing the interferon-gamma (IFN-g) gene expressed in the pancreatic islets. Previous studies showed that the locally produced IFN-g causes lymphocyte infiltration and islet cell destruction. Here we demonstrate that new islet cells are formed continuously from duct cells as evid...

In pancreatic survey, quantitative and morphological characteristics could be fundamental variables for the evaluation of some structures. The aim of this study was the application of stereological methods for estimation of quantitative parameters and morphological evaluation of the pancreas in chickens. Ten adult male and ten adult female native chickens were used in this study. Routine tissue...

During pregnancy, maternal pancreatic islets grow to match dynamic physiological demands, but the mechanisms regulating adaptive islet growth in this setting are poorly understood. Here we show that menin, a protein previously characterized as an endocrine tumor suppressor and transcriptional regulator, controls islet growth in pregnant mice. Pregnancy stimulated proliferation of maternal pancr...

An important question is how growing tissues establish a blood vessel network. Here we study vascular network formation in pancreatic islets, endocrine tissues derived from pancreatic epithelium. We find that depletion of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in the pancreatic epithelial cells of mice results in glucose intolerance due to a loss of the intra-islet vasculature. In turn, blood vessels acc...

Objective(s): During type-1 diabetes treating by pancreatic islet transplantation, increasing oxidative stress and microbial contaminations are the main reasons of transplantation failure. In this study, we evaluated anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials of phenolic compounds called ellagic acid (EA) and silybin on rat pancreatic islets. Materials and Methods: By doing MTT as...

Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions play a critical role in tissue morphogenesis and in homeostasis of adult tissues. The integrin family of adhesion receptors regulates cellular interactions with the extracellular matrix, which provides three-dimensional information for tissue organization. It is currently thought that pancreatic islet cells develop from undifferentiated progenitors residin...

Altered dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) activity during the progression of late-stage type 2 diabetes was measured in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rats. Compared with OLETF rats subjected to 30% food restriction, food-satiated OLETF rats exhibited spontaneous hyperphagic obesity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and increased plasma DPP4 activity during the early ...

Insulin secretion is elaborately modulated in pancreatic ß cells within islets of three-dimensional (3D) structures. Using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to develop islet-like structures with insulin-producing ß cells for the treatment of diabetes is challenging. Here, we report that pancreatic islet-like clusters derived from hESCs are functionally capable of glucose-responsive insulin s...