title: Implication of epigenetics in pancreas development and disease.
abstract: Pancreas development is controlled by a complex interaction of signaling pathways and transcription factor networks that determine pancreatic specification and differentiation of exocrine and endocrine cells. Epigenetics adds a new layer of gene regulation. DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs recently appeared as important epigenetic factors regulating pancreas development. In this review, we report recent findings obtained by analyses in model organisms as well as genome-wide approaches that demonstrate the role of these epigenetic regulators in the control of exocrine and endocrine cell differentiation, identity, function, proliferation and regeneration. We also highlight how altered epigenetic processes contribute to pancreatic disorders: diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Uncovering these epigenetic events can help to better understand these diseases, provide novel therapeutical targets for their treatment, and improve cell-based therapies for diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7622, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Paris F-75005, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR7622-IBPS, Paris F-75005, France.
authors.forename: Evans
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quilichini
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7622, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Paris F-75005, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR7622-IBPS, Paris F-75005, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), France. Electronic address: cecile.haumaitre@inserm.fr.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haumaitre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000235:genetics*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D010179:Pancreas / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: DNA methylation; diabetes; epigenetics; histone modifications; non-coding RNAs; pancreas development; pancreatic cancer; stem cell differentiation; β-cells