title: Insulin-producing cells are bi-potential and differentiatorsprior to proliferation in early human development.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the differentiation and migration of endocrine cells to form the pancreatic islets of Langer-hans in early human development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Embryonic pancreas of 6-14 wk gestation was observed using immunocytochemistry methods in early human development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Insulin and glucagon are expressed in the same epithelium cells in the pancreas. In addition, in-sulin-producing cells also secrete somatostatin in early human embryonic development and these insulin-pro-ducing cells also express nestin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pancreatic duct epithelial cells that can produce insulin in early human development are pre-cursors and still have the potential to differentiate other endocrine cells. These progenitors have differen-tiated before migration from primary ductal epithelium to form the pancreatic islets.
authors.affiliation: Kai-Ming Yang, Wang Yong, Department of Anatomy and His-tology and Embryology, Dali University, Dali 671000, Yunnan Province, China.
authors.forename: Kai-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Ai-Dong
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yang