Exendin-4 Protects Pancreatic Beta Cells from Palmitate-Induced Apoptosis by Interfering with GPR40 and the MKK4/7 Stress Kinase Signaling Pathway Exposure of human and murine primary islets and INS-1E cells, but not alpha-TC1-6 cells, to exendin-4 inhibited phosphorylation of the stress kinases, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and prevented apoptosis in response to palmitate. [Diabetologia] Abstract Potent Humanin Analog Increases Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion through Enhanced Metabolism in the ß Cell Scientists examined the acute effects of humanin (HN) on insulin secretion and potential mechanisms through which they are mediated. Effects of a potent HN analog, HNGF6A, on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion were assessed in vivo and in isolated pancreatic islets and cultured murine ß cell line in vitro. [FASEB J] Abstract Mutations in SLC2A2 Reveal hGLUT2 Function in Pancreatic Beta Cell Development The structure-function relationships of sugar transporter-receptor hGLUT2 coded by SLC2A2 and their impact on insulin secretion and ß cell differentiation were investigated through the detailed characterization of a panel of mutations along the protein. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article TNF-Like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis (TWEAK) Promotes Beta Cell Neogenesis from Pancreatic Ductal Epithelium in Adult Mice TWEAK stimulates proliferation of ductal epithelial cells through its receptor Fn14, while it has no mitogenic effect on pancreatic a- or ß-cells or acinar cells. [PLoS One] Full Article FGF7 and Cell Density Are Required for Final Differentiation of Pancreatic Amylase-Positive Cells from Human ES Cells Scientists examined the role of fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7) in the final induction of pancreatic amylase-containing exocrine cells from induced-pancreatic progenitor cells derived from human embryonic stem (ES) cells. [Cell Tissue Res] Abstract Nkx2.2:Cre Knock-In Mouse Line: A Novel Tool for Pancreas and CNS -Specific Gene Deletion Lineage studies verified Nkx2.2 expression in the earliest pancreatic progenitors that give rise to all cell types of the pancreas; however they also revealed more robust Cre activity in the dorsal versus ventral pancreas. [Genesis] Abstract PANCREATIC CANCER A Tumorigenic Factor Interactome Connected through Tumor Suppressor MicroRNA-198 in Human Pancreatic Cancer Researchers found that microRNA (miR)-198 is downregulated in pancreatic cancer and is involved in an intricate reciprocal regulatory loop with mesothelin, which represses miR-198 through NF-?B-mediated POU2F2 induction. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract Hypoxia-Induced Snail Expression Through Transcriptional Regulation by HIF-1a in Pancreatic Cancer Cells Morphology analysis and tumor cell migration and invasion assays were performed to detect phenotypic changes of pancreatic cancer cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions after lentiviral HIF-1a shRNA transfection. Under hypoxic conditions, these tumor cells underwent typical morphological and molecular changes to epithelial-mesenchymal transition. [Dig Dis Sci] Abstract MicroRNA-21 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Tumor-Associated Fibroblasts Promotes Metastasis Dysregulation of microRNA (miR) regulatory networks in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) have not been previously described. In this study, researchers showed that miR-21 expression in TAFs promotes tumor cell invasion. [PLoS One] Full Article |