DIABETES & PANCREATITIS Inhibition of Autophagic Turnover in β-Cells by Fatty Acids and Glucose Leads to Apoptotic Cell Death Researchers report that exposure of β-cell lines and human pancreatic islets to high levels of glucose and lipids blocks autophagic flux and leads to apoptotic cell death. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article Curcumin Enhances Recovery of Pancreatic Islets from Cellular Stress Induced Inflammation and Apoptosis in Diabetic Rats Scientists explored the role of curcumin in the pancreatic tissue of STZ induced and cellular stress mediated diabetes in eight weeks old male Wistar rats. [Toxicol Appl Pharmacol] Abstract Alanyl-Glutamine Improves Pancreatic β-Cell Function following Ex Vivo Inflammatory Challenge Researchers studied whether the dipeptide L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine could exert protective effects via Sirtuin 1/Hur signaling in β-cells, against detrimental responses following ex vivo stimulation with inflammatory mediators-derived from macrophages. [J Endocrinol] Abstract Carriers of Loss-of-Function Mutations in EXT Display Impaired Pancreatic Beta-Cell Reserve Due to Smaller Pancreas Volume Scientists hypothesized that loss of function of Exotosin-1 (EXT1) or EXT2 in subjects with hereditary multiple exostoses affects pancreatic insulin secretion capacity and development. [PLoS One] Full Article Effect of Cyclophosphamide on Expression of MMP-9 and TGF-β1 in Renal Tissue of Rats with Diabetes Mellitus Researchers investigated the effect of cyclophosphamide on expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-9) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in renal tissue of rats with diabetic nephropathy. [Cell Biochem Biophys] Abstract PANCREATIC CANCER The Carboxyl Tail of Connexin32 Regulates Gap Junction Assembly in Human Prostate and Pancreatic Cancer Cells Investigators explored the role of the cytoplasmic tail of Cx32, a connexin (Cx) expressed in polarized and differentiated cells, in regulating gap junction assembly. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article Dynamic Epigenetic Regulation by Menin during Pancreatic Islet Tumor Formation To elucidate the role of methylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4) mediated by menin-histone methyltransferases complexes during pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor formation, genome-wide H3K4 trimethylation signals were mapped in pancreatic islets using unbiased chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with next-generation sequencing. [Mol Cancer Res] Abstract Increased Expression of PHD3 Represses the HIF-1 Signaling Pathway and Contributes to Poor Neovascularization in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma By comparing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) to hepatocellular carcinoma, which is well vascularized, scientists investigated the mechanisms and tumor biological significance of the poor neovascularization in PDAC. [J Gastroenterol] Full Article Implications of Targeted Genomic Disruption of β-Catenin in BxPC-3 Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Cells To obtain more insight into the role of WNT/β-catenin signaling in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) scientists established human PA cell lines that are deficient of the central canonical WNT signaling protein β-catenin by using zinc-finger nuclease mediated targeted genomic disruption in the β-catenin gene. [PLoS One] Full Article Fucoidan from Turbinaria conoides: A Multifaceted ‘Deliverable’ to Combat Pancreatic Cancer Progression Researchers investigated the antioxidant and anti-cancer effects of fucoidans, sulfated polysaccharides from Turbinaria conoides in pancreatic cancer cell lines. [Int J Biol Macromol] Abstract A Bioengineered Murine Model Using CD24+CD44+ Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells for Chemotherapy Study CD24+CD44+ cancer stem cells successfully initiated tumorigenesis in vitro on the scaffold without suffering apoptosis, evidencing the lack of cytotoxicity of scaffolding materials. [Biomed Mater] Abstract |