Transcription factors as therapeutic targets for diabetes.
BACKGROUND
Islet cell implantation and pancreas transplantation have been used as treatments for diabetes but are limited by the shortage of donors and the requirement for lifelong immunosuppression. As an alternative, the generation of surrogate insulin-producing cells has been an area of interest for many researchers. Understanding how pancreatic beta-cells are generated during pancreas development will provide information that can be applied to generating surrogate beta-cells.


OBJECTIVE
To outline the current knowledge of pancreas development and differentiation, with a focus on the regulatory network of pancreas-enriched transcription factors and their targets.


METHODS
A review of relevant literature.


CONCLUSIONS
Pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (Pdx1), Neurogenin 3 (Ngn3), and musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog A (MafA) have been shown to play essential roles in pancreas development and beta-cell differentiation, and gain-of-function approaches indicate the potency of these factors for inducing differentiation of non-beta-cells into insulin-producing cells, which could lead to a novel therapy to cure diabetes.
Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan.
Takeshi
T
Miyatsuka
Taka-aki
TA
Matsuoka
Hideaki
H
Kaneto
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051473:Maf Transcription Factors, Large / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D051473:Maf Transcription Factors, Large; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; C485159:MAFA protein, human; C498695:NEUROG3 protein, human; C084010:pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 protein