title: Pancreatic beta cells: responding to the matrix.
abstract: In a recent issue of Developmental Cell, Nikolova et al. (2006) make the unusual discovery that, unlike most epithelial cells, pancreatic beta cells do not produce a basement membrane of extracellular matrix. Rather, the matrix is provided to a subset of beta cells by local capillary endothelial cells, explaining in part how the endothelium helps promote optimal levels of insulin production.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Developmental Biology Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Zaret
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D007328:Insulin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin