Weighing up beta-cell mass in mice and humans: self-renewal, progenitors or stem cells?
Understanding how beta-cells maintain themselves in the adult pancreas is important for prioritizing strategies aimed at ameliorating or ideally curing different forms of diabetes. There has been much debate over whether beta-cell proliferation, as a means of self-renewal, predominates over the existence and differentiation of a pancreatic stem cell or progenitor cell population. This article describes the two opposing positions based largely on research in laboratory rodents and its extrapolation to humans.
Hanley
Neil A
NA
Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells & Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. N.A.Hanley@soton.ac.uk
Hanley
Karen Piper
KP
Miettinen
Päivi J
PJ
Otonkoski
Timo
T
D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048429:Cell Size; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D010179:Pancreas / Q000254:growth & development; D013045:Species Specificity; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*