title: No evidence for mouse pancreatic beta-cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro.
abstract: We used cre/loxP-based genetic lineage tracing analysis to test a previously proposed hypothesis that in vitro cultured adult pancreatic beta-cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to generate a highly proliferative, differentiation-competent population of mesenchymal islet "progenitor" cells. Our results in the mouse that are likely to be directly relevant to the human system show that adult mouse beta-cells do not undergo EMT in vitro and that the mesenchymal cells that arise in cultures of adult pancreas are not derived from beta-cells. We argue that these cells most likely originate from expansion of mesenchymal cells integral to the heterogeneous pancreatic islet preparations. As such, these mesenchymal "progenitors" might not represent the best possible source for generation of physiologically competent beta-cells for treatment of diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Fouad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Atouf
authors.forename: Cheol Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pechhold
authors.forename: Malancha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ta
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Nadya L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Lumelsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001287:Attachment Sites, Microbiological / Q000235:genetics; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases