Insulin-secreting β cells require a post-genomic concept

Abstract

Pancreatic insulin-secreting β cells are essential in maintaining normal glucose homeostasis accomplished by highly specialized transcription of insulin gene, of which occupies up to 40% their transcriptome. Deficiency of these cells causes diabetes mellitus, a global public health problem. Although tremendous endeavors have been made to generate insulin-secreting cells from human pluripotent stem cells (i.e., primitive cells capable of giving rise to all cell types in the body), a regenerative therapy to diabetes has not yet been established. Furthermore, the nomenclature of β cells has become inconsistent, confusing and controversial due to the lack of standardized positive controls of developmental stage-matched in vivo cells. In order to minimize this negative impact and facilitate critical research in this field, a post-genomic concept of pancreatic β cells might be helpful. In this review article, we will briefly describe how β cells were discovered and islet lineage is developed that may help understand the cause of nomenclatural controversy, suggest a post-genomic definition and finally provide a conclusive remark on future research of this pivotal cell.

Keywords: Beta cells; Insulin; Post-genome; Concept

Core tip: Pancreatic β cells are highly effective and efficient in the production of insulin, and specialized in its regulated secretion. Deficiency of β cells causes diabetes mellitus, the prevalence of which keeps climbing, despite new drugs continuously becoming available to clinics. Thus regenerative therapies to this devastating disease show great promise. Nevertheless, the generation of β cells requires multiple forced fate changes from pluripotent stem cells and the latter derived insulin+ cells expressing selective key β-cell transcription factors may not be the genuine islet counterparts. Hence their post-genomic concept may help the future development of diabetes regenerative therapies.