Measurement of pancreatic islet cell proliferation by heavy water labeling.
We describe a sensitive technique for measuring long-term islet cell proliferation rates in vivo in rats. Pancreatic islets were isolated and the incorporation of deuterium ((2)H) from heavy water ((2)H(2)O) into the deoxyribose moiety of DNA was measured by GC-MS. The results of heavy water labeling and BrdU staining were compared. The two methods were highly correlated (r = 0.9581, P < 0.001). Based on long-term heavy water labeling, approximately 50% of islet cells divided in rats between 8 and 15 wk of age. Of interest, long-term BrdU administration suppressed proliferation of islet cells significantly, but not of bone marrow cells. Physiological evidence further supported the validity of the method: older animals (24 wk old) had 60% lower islet cell proliferation rates than younger rats (5 wk old), and partial (50%) pancreatectomy increased proliferation by 20%. In addition, cholecystokinin-8 treatment significantly stimulated proliferation in pancreatectomized rats only. In summary, heavy water labeling is a quantitative approach for measuring islet cell proliferation and testing therapeutic agents.
Chen
Songyuan
S
KineMed Inc, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA. schen@kinemed.com
Turner
Scott
S
Tsang
Ellen
E
Stark
Julie
J
Turner
Holly
H
Mahsut
Ablatt
A
Keifer
Keri
K
Goldfinger
Michelle
M
Hellerstein
Marc K
MK
D000818:Animals; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D048708:Cell Growth Processes / Q000502:physiology; D017666:Deuterium Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D017666:Deuterium Oxide