Regulated ß-cell regeneration in the adult mouse pancreas

Objective: Several studies have shown that the adult pancreas possesses a limited potential for ß– cell regeneration upon tissue injury. One of the difficulties in studying ß-cell regeneration has been the lack of a robust, synchronized animal model system that would allow controlled regulation of ß−cell loss and subsequent proliferation in adult pancreas. Research Design and Methods: Here we present a transgenic mouse regeneration model in which the c–Myc transcription factor/mutant estrogen receptor (cMycER) fusion protein can be specifically activated in mature ß–cells. We have studied these transgenic mice by immunohistochemical and biochemical methods to assess the ablation and posterior regeneration