title: Pancreas and beta-cell development: from the actual to the possible.
abstract: The development of insulin-producing pancreatic beta (beta)-cells represents the culmination of a complex developmental program. Cells of the posterior foregut assume a pancreatic identity, cells within the expanding pancreatic primordia adopt an endocrine fate, and a subset of these precursors becomes competent to generate beta-cells. Postnatally, beta-cells are primarily maintained by self-duplication rather than new differentiation. Although major gaps in our knowledge still persist, experiments across several organisms have shed increasing light on the steps of beta-cell specification and differentiation. Increasing our understanding of the extrinsic, as well as intrinsic, mechanisms that control these processes should facilitate efforts to regenerate this important cell type in humans.
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Department of Human Genetics, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. murtaugh@genetics.utah.edu
authors.forename: L Charles
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Murtaugh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D010179:Pancreas / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; C084010:pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 protein