Down-regulation of proliferation does not affect the secretory function of transformed β-cell lines regardless of their anatomical configuration.

Aims And Objectives: Proliferation in transformed β-cell lines is high compared to primary islet cells and is accompanied by reduced insulin content and release. Our aim was to determine whether experimental reduction of proliferation restores the cells to a more authentic β-cell phenotype in terms of secretory function and to investigate the potential beneficial effect of their configuration as islet-like structures.

Results: Mitosis inhibitor mitomycin c treatment neither altered the rate of proliferation nor improved the secretory responses of MIN6 monolayer cells.