Pancreatic Cell News Volume 6.18 | May 12 2015

Geniposide Promotes Beta-Cell Regeneration and Survival through Regulating β-Catenin/TCF7L2 Pathway
The authors investigated the role of geniposide in β-cell and underlying mechanism involved. Geniposide was found to promote β-cell survival by increasing β-cell proliferation and decreasing β-cell apoptosis in cultured mouse islets after challenge with diabetic stimuli. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Postnatal Pancreas of Mice Contains Tripotent Progenitors Capable of Giving Rise to Duct, Acinar and Endocrine Cells In Vitro
Whether IKVAV, a sequence derived from laminin, is necessary for endocrine differentiation in vitro is unknown. To answer this, scientists cultured single cells from one-week-old pancreas in semi-solid media supplemented with artificial extracellular matrix protein (aECM)-lam, aECM-scr (which contains a scrambled sequence instead of IKVAV), or Matrigel. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract

Taurine Supplementation Ameliorates Glucose Homeostasis, Prevents Insulin and Glucagon Hypersecretion, and Controls β, α, and δ-Cell Masses in Genetic Obese Mice
Scientists assessed the effects of taurine (Tau) supplementation upon glucose homeostasis and the morphophysiology of endocrine pancreas, in leptin-deficient obese (ob) mice. In Tau-supplemented ob mice, insulin and glucagon secretion was attenuated, while Ca²⁺ influx tended to be normalized in β-cells and Ca²⁺ oscillations were increased in α-cells. [Amino Acids] Abstract

Rab27A Is Present in Mouse Pancreatic Acinar Cells and Is Required for Digestive Enzyme Secretion
Ashen mice, which lack the expression of Rab27A due to a spontaneous mutation, were used to investigate the function of Rab27A in pancreatic acinar cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

PANCREATIC CANCER

Ectopic Expression of miR-494 Inhibited the Proliferation, Invasion and Chemoresistance of Pancreatic Cancer by Regulating SIRT1 and c-Myc
Scientists revealed that microRNA (miR)-494 was significantly decreased in pancreatic cancer (PC) cell lines and tissues. Functional study showed that overexpressed miR-494 could remarkably inhibit proliferation of PC cells both in vitro and in vivo, which was due to induction of apoptosis, G1 phase arrest and senescence. [Gene Ther] Abstract

Metformin Causes G1-Phase Arrest via Down-Regulation of miR-221 and Enhances TRAIL Sensitivity through DR5 Up-Regulation in Pancreatic Cancer Cells
The authors demonstrated that metformin suppressed the expression of miR-221, one of the most well-known oncogenic microRNAs, in human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells. Moreover, they showed that the down-regulation of miR-221 by metformin caused G1-phase arrest via the up-regulation of p27, one of the direct targets of miR-221. [PLoS One] Full Article

miR-139 and miR-200c Regulate Pancreatic Cancer Endothelial Cell Migration and Angiogenesis
Investigators tested the hypothesis that dysregulated microRNA (miRNA) expression by pancreatic cancer endothelial cells may regulate angiogenesis. Primary endothelial cell cultures were established from the pancreatic tumor and adjacent normal tissues of three pancreatic cancer patients. [Oncol Rep] Abstract

Downregulation of CD9 Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Growth and Metastasis through Upregulation of Epidermal Growth Factor on the Cell Surface
Using the two closely associated pancreatic cancer cell lines, PaTu-8898s and PaTu-8898t, which are metastatic and non-metastatic, respectively, scientists showed that the PaTu-8988s cells expressed a lower level of CD9 but had higher proliferation and migration rates than the PaTu-8898t cells. [Oncol Rep] Abstract

The Interplay between miR-148a and DNMT1 Might Be Exploited for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy
Researchers discovered the expression level of miR-148a significantly decreased in pancreatic cancer tissues whereas that of DNMT1 increased. In ASPC-1 cancer cells, the overexpression of miR-148a led to a decreased level of DNMT1 and reduced the proliferation and metastasis of ASPC-1 cells. [Cancer Invest] Abstract

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Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for Evofosfamide for the Treatment of Patients Living with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Merck KGaA announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation for the development of evofosfamide, administered in combination with gemcitabine, for the treatment of previously untreated patients with metastatic or locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer. [Merck KGaA] Press Release

MicroBiome Therapeutics Receives Positive Response from FDA for Use of Expedited Regulatory Pathway for Diabetes Drug NM505
MicroBiome Therapeutics™ LLC reported that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has responded positively to the company’s pre-IND request to use the 505(b)(2) abbreviated regulatory pathway for development of lead product NM505. [MicroBiome Therapeutics™ LLC (PR Newswire Association LLC)] Press Release

NewLink Genetics’ IMPRESS Phase III Pancreatic Cancer Trial with Algenpantucel-L to Continue following Second Interim Analysis
NewLink Genetics Corporation announced the continuation without any modification or sample size adjustment for its pivotal, Phase III immunotherapy for pancreatic resectable cancer study of algenpantucel-L for patients with surgically resected pancreatic cancer following the second planned interim data analysis. [NewLink Genetics Corporation] Press Release

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Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology Endoderm Lineages (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Associate – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

PhD Studentships – Diabetes Research (Diabetes UK)

Postdoctoral Position – Type 1 Diabetes Research (KU Leuven)

Research Assistant/Associate – Pancreatic Cancer (University of Glasgow)

Postdoctoral Position – Obesity and Diabetes Research (University of Iowa)

Research Technician – Diabetes (University of Oxford)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Mechanisms of Cell Death of Normal Tissue Stem Cells (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Research Assistant Professor – Protein Misfolding and Toxicity (George Washington University)

Director – Center of Emphasis in Diabetes and Metabolism (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center)

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