DIABETES GPRC6A Mediates the Effects of L-Arginine on Insulin Secretion in Mouse Pancreatic Islets To test the direct role of G protein-coupled receptor family C group 6 member A (GPRC6A) in regulating insulin secretion, scientists evaluated the response of pancreatic islets derived from Gprc6a-/]minus] mice to l-Arginine. [Endocrinology] Abstract ß-Cell Regeneration Mediated by Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Investigators tested the ability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells genetically modified to transiently express vascular endothelial growth factor or pancreatic-duodenal homeobox 1 to reverse diabetes and whether these cells were differentiated into ß-cells or mediated recovery through alternative mechanisms. [PLoS One] Full Article Rare Sugar D-Psicose Protects Pancreas ß-Islets and thus Improves Insulin Resistance in OLETF Rats Researchers examined the effect of rare sugar d-psicose on the protection of pancreatic ß-islets using Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, a type 2 diabetes mellitus model. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Abstract Identification of Hepatocyte Growth Factor Activator (Hgfac) Gene as a Target of HNF1α in Mouse ß-Cells To understand the role of HNF1a in pancreatic ß-cells, scientists established the MIN6 ß-cell line that stably expressed HNF1α-specific shRNA. Expression of the gene encoding Hgfac was decreased in HNF1α KD-MIN6 cells. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Abstract PANCREATIC CANCER Cdk4/6 Inhibition Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Enhances Invasiveness in Pancreatic Cancer Cells Investigators showed that PD-0332991, a highly specific inhibitor for Cdk4 and Cdk6, exerted growth inhibitory effects on three human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines. [Mol Cancer Ther] Abstract Antitumor Activity of Emodin against Pancreatic Cancer Depends on Its Dual Role: Promotion of Apoptosis and Suppression of Angiogenesis Researchers found that emodin inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth, induced apoptosis, and enhanced the anti-tumor effect of gemcitabine on pancreatic caner cells in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting the activity of NF-κB. [PLoS One] Full Article Molecular Evidence for Increased Antitumor Activity of Gemcitabine in Combination with a Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor, P276-00 in Pancreatic Cancers Scientists investigated the effect of the combination of P276-00 and gemcitabine in five pancreatic cancer cell lines. The combination of gemcitabine followed by P276-00 was found to be highly to weakly synergistic in various pancreatic cancer cell lines as assessed by the combination index. [J Transl Med] Abstract | Full Article Silencing Expression of Ribosomal Protein L26 and L29 by RNA Interfering Inhibits Proliferation of Human Pancreatic Cancer PANC-1 Cells Researchers showed that knockdown of L26 and L29 expression significantly suppressed cell proliferation, induced cell arrest at G0/G1 phase and enhanced cell apoptosis. [Mol Cell Biochem] Abstract
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