Redefining the signaling pathways from pluripotency to pancreas development: In vitro β‐cell differentiation

We summarized the current knowledge on the developmental biology of the pancreas to understand the mechanism underlying the insulin ‐producing cell (IPC) protocols, and discussed the appropriate signaling involved in the early body axes and endoderm patterning up to endocrine precursor (EP) and β‐cell specification. In addition, we showed that transplantation of differentiated embryonic stem (dES) cells in early differentia tion stage, leads to a better outcome, compared with full differentiation of mature β‐cells’ graft. AbstractPancreatic β‐cells are destroyed by the immune system, in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and are impaired by glucose insensitivity in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Islet‐cells transplantation is a promising therapeutic approach based on in vitro differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) to insulin‐producing cell s (IPCs). According to evolutionary stages in β‐cell development, there are several distinct checkpoints; each one has a unique characteristic, including definitive endoderm (DE), primitive gut (PG), posterior foregut (PF), pancreatic epithelium (PE), endocrine precursor (EP), and immature β‐c ells up to functional β‐cells. A better understanding of the gene regulatory networks (GRN) and associated transcription factors in each specific developmental stage, guarantees the achievement of the next successful checkpoints and ensures an efficient β‐cell differentiation procedure. The ne w findings in signaling pathways, relate...
Source: Journal of Cellular Physiology - Category: Cytology Authors: Tags: MINI ‐REVIEW Source Type: research