Journal
PLOS ONE
Volume 8, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066214
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Funding
- Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Disease [P30-DK050306]
- Penn Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism [DERC: P30-DK19525]
- National Institutes of Health [DK078606, NIH-DK019525, JDRF2-2007-730]
- National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney [T32-DK007066, NIH-5K12HD043245]
- CHOP Foerderer Award
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The specification and differentiation of pancreatic endocrine cell populations (alpha-, beta-, delta, PP-and epsilon-cells) is orchestrated by a combination of transcriptional regulators. In the pancreas, Aristaless-related homeobox gene (Arx) is expressed first in the endocrine progenitors and then restricted to glucagon-producing alpha-cells. While the functional requirement of Arx in early alpha-cell specification has been investigated, its role in maintaining alpha-cell identity has yet to be explored. To study this later role of Arx, we have generated mice in which the Arx gene has been ablated specifically in glucagon-producing alpha-cells. Lineage-tracing studies and immunostaining analysis for endocrine hormones demonstrate that ablation of Arx in neonatal alpha-cells results in an alpha-to-beta-like conversion through an intermediate bihormonal state. Furthermore, these Arx-deficient converted cells express beta-cell markers including Pdx1, MafA, and Glut2. Surprisingly, short-term ablation of Arx in adult mice does not result in a similar alpha-to-beta-like conversion. Taken together, these findings reveal a potential temporal requirement for Arx in maintaining alpha-cell identity.
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