Characterization of the NES2Y cell line and its use in the production of human glucose-responsive insulin producing (hGRIP) cell lines by cell-cell fusion

Diabetes mellitus is a debilitating disease and alternative methods of treatment are a priority if the short-term and long term sequelae are to be avoided. Here the authors manipulate NES2Y cells, which have the potential to be used as 'fusion partners' to produce human insulin-producing glucose-responsive hybrids. The fusion experiments were carried out using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and electroporation. Human insulin production of the resulting hybrids (in response to glucose) was measured using ELISA. Our results showed that it is possible to engineer human glucose-responsive insulin-producing (hGRIPs) hybrid cells by the manipulation of two different cell types. The resulting hybrids continuously grow in culture and are insulin-secreting and glucose-responsive for a period of time. Immortalised cells with the characteristics of human beta cells could provide an important resource for experimental studies in Type 1 diabetes, such as an improved understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of glucose-responsive insulin processing and secretion, transplantation and drug screening programs.