title: The stress of starvation: glucocorticoid restraint of beta cell development.
abstract: Developmental insults during gestation, such as under-nutrition, are known to restrict the number of beta cells that form in the fetal pancreas and are maintained in adulthood, leading to increased risk of type 2 diabetes. There are now substantial data indicating that glucocorticoids mediate this effect of under-nutrition on beta cell mass and that even at physiological levels they restrain fetal beta cell development in utero. There are emerging clues that this occurs downstream of endocrine commitment by neurogenin 3 but prior to terminal beta cell differentiation. Deciphering the precise mechanism will be important as it might unveil new pathways by which to manipulate beta cell mass that could be exploited as novel therapies for patients with diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Diabetes Group, School of Biomedicine, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, AV Hill Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hanley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D003345:Corticosterone; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007328:Insulin; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; C498695:NEUROG3 protein, human