Novel pancreatic precursor cell lines for studying beta-cell differentiation

Novel Pancreatic Precursor Cell Lines for Studying -Cell Differentiation

Human Fucci Pancreatic Beta Cell Lines: New Tools to Study Beta Cell Cycle and Terminal Differentiation

Regulation of cell cycle in beta cells is poorly understood, especially in humans. We exploited here the recently described human pancreatic beta cell line EndoC-βH2 to set up experimental systems for cell cycle studies. We derived 2 populations from EndoC-βH2 cells that stably harbor the 2 genes encoding the Fucci fluorescent indicators of cell cycle, either from two vectors, or from a unique ...

Milestones of Pancreatic Beta Cell Differentiation from Embryonic Stem Cells

Transplantation of pancreatic islets of Langerhans has proven effective in setting diabetic patients insulin-free for periods longer than a year, resulting in a net improvement in generic measures of quality of life. Although very promising, this treatment cannot yet be generally applied because of shortage in brain-dead heart-beating islet donors. Several non-endocrine pancreatic cells and non...

A novel leptin signalling pathway via PTEN inhibition in hypothalamic cell lines and pancreatic beta-cells.

In obesity and diabetes, the ability of hypothalamic neurons to sense and transduce changes in leptin and insulin levels is compromised. The effects of both hormones require intracellular signalling via the PI3-kinase pathway, which is inhibited by the phosphatase PTEN. We show that leptin-stimulated F-actin depolymerization in mouse hypothalamic cells is inhibited by PTEN, a process involving ...

Embryonic cell lines with endothelial potential: an in vitro system for studying endothelial differentiation.

OBJECTIVE Endothelial differentiation is a fundamental process in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis with implications in development, normal physiology, and pathology. To better understand this process, an in vitro cellular system that recapitulates endothelial differentiation and is amenable to experimental manipulations is required. METHODS AND RESULTS Embryonic cell lines that differentiate ...