Pancreatic beta-cell replication and amelioration of surgical diabetes by Reg protein.
We previously isolated from a rat regenerating islet cDNA library a gene named Reg, which is expressed in regenerating islets but is not expressed in normal islets. Here we examined the effect of rat Reg protein on pancreatic beta-cell replication using both 90% depancreatized rats and isolated islets. The depancreatized rats that received i.p. administration of recombinant rat Reg protein (1 mg/kg per day) for 2 months showed amelioration of the surgical diabetes, as evidenced by a significant decrease in blood glucose with an increased beta-cell mass in the residual pancreas. In isolated rat islets, Reg protein (18-180 nM: 0.3-3 micrograms/ml) significantly increased [3H]thymidine incorporation into the nuclei of beta cells. These results indicate that Reg protein is a growth factor for pancreatic beta cells and also suggest that the administration of Reg protein could be used as another therapeutic approach for diabetes mellitus.
Watanabe
T
T
Department of Biochemistry, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Yonemura
Y
Y
Yonekura
H
H
Suzuki
Y
Y
Miyashita
H
H
Sugiyama
K
K
Moriizumi
S
S
Unno
M
M
Tanaka
O
O
Kondo
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000502:physiology*; D051847:Lithostathine; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012038:Regeneration
D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D051847:Lithostathine; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C497616:Reg1a protein, rat