title: Pancreatic progenitors: The shortest route to restore islet cell mass.
abstract: The regenerative process of the pancreas is of interest because the main pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus is an inadequate number of insulin-producing β-cells. The functional mass of β-cells is decreased in most forms of diabetes, so replacing missing β-cells or triggering their regeneration may allow for improved diabetes treatment. Therefore, expansion of the β-cell mass from endogenous sources, either in vivo or in vitro, represents an area of increasing interest. The mechanism of islet regeneration remains poorly understood, but the identification of islet progenitor sources is critical for understanding β-cell regeneration. One potential source is the islet proper, via the de-differentiation, proliferation and redifferentiation of facultative progenitors residing within the islet. The new pancreatic islets derived from progenitor cells present within the ducts have been reported, but the existence and identity of the progenitor cells have been debated. In this mini-review, we focus primarily on pancreatic progenitors, which are islet progenitors capable of differentiating into insulin producing cells. We also emphasize the importance of pancreatic progenitors as a target for stem cell therapy for diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry/Stem Cell Research, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India. v.venkateshan@gmail.com
authors.forename: Vijayalakshmi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Venkatesan
authors.forename: Renjitha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gopurappilly
authors.forename: Sashi Kiran
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Goteti
authors.forename: Raju Kumar
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Dorisetty
authors.forename: Ramesh R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Bhonde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*