Collagen-Tannic Acid Spheroids for β-Cell Encapsulation Fabricated Using a 3D Bioprinter.

Type 1 Diabetes results from autoimmune response elicited against β-cell antigens. Nowadays, insulin injections remain the leading therapeutic option. However, injection treatment fails to emulate the highly dynamic insulin release that β-cells provide.

Direct reprogramming of human fibroblasts into insulin-producing cells using transcription factors.

Direct lineage reprogramming of one somatic cell into another without transitioning through a progenitor stage has emerged as a strategy to generate clinically relevant cell types. One cell type of interest is the pancreatic insulin-producing β cell whose loss and/or dysfunction leads to diabetes. To date it has been possible to create β-like cells from related endodermal cell types by forcing the expression of developmental transcription factors, but not from more distant cell lineages like fibroblasts.

Evaluation of the Effects of CCN4 on Pancreatic Beta Cell Proliferation.

Expanding the number of insulin-producing beta cells through reactivation of their replication has been proposed as a therapy to prevent or delay the appearance of diabetes. Using antibody arrays, we identified CCN4/Wisp1 as a circulating factor enriched in preweaning mice, a period in which beta cells exhibit a dramatic increase in number. This finding led us to investigate the involvement of CCN4 in beta cell proliferation.

PRC2 Regulated Atoh8 Is a Regulator of Intestinal Microfold Cell (M Cell) Differentiation.

Intestinal microfold cells (M cells) are a dynamic lineage of epithelial cells that initiate mucosal immunity in the intestine. They are responsible for the uptake and transcytosis of microorganisms, pathogens, and other antigens in the gastrointestinal tract. A mature M cell expresses a receptor Gp2 which binds to pathogens and aids in the uptake.