miR-375 inhibits proliferation of mouse pancreatic progenitor cells by targeting YAP1.

Background/aims: The Hippo signaling pathway regulates expansion and differentiation of stem cells and tissue progenitor cells during organ development and tissue regeneration. Previous studies have shown that YAP1, a potent effector of the Hippo signaling pathway, plays a crucial role in pancreas development, but the function of YAP1 in pancreatic progenitor cells is less known.

Methods: The spatio-temporal expression pattern of YAP1 in mouse developing pancreata was detected by in situ hybridization.

Complete disassociation of adult pancreas into viable single cells through cold trypsin-EDTA digestion.

The in vitro isolation and analysis of pancreatic stem/progenitor cells are necessary for understanding their properties and function; however, the preparation of high-quality single-cell suspensions from adult pancreas is prerequisite. In this study, we applied a cold trypsin-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) digestion method to disassociate adult mouse pancreata into single cells. The yield of single cells and the viability of the harvested cells were much higher than those obtained via the two commonly used warm digestion methods.