Ductal malformation and pancreatitis in mice caused by conditional Jag1 deletion.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Alagille syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in Notch signaling pathway genes, usually JAGGED1. Up to 40% of Alagille syndrome patients also display exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, the pathobiology of which is unknown. Additionally, no mouse model recapitulating this aspect of the disease has been reported.

METHODS

We conditionally deleted both alleles of Jagged1 in the murine pancreas using Cre-loxP technology and analyzed histologic and morphologic features in postnatal and adult pancreas such as duct structure, acinar mass, and T-lymphocyte infiltration, as well as markers of pancreatic function, including fecal fat.

RESULTS

Jagged1-deficient mice displayed malformed pancreatic ducts with resulting acinar cell death, fatty infiltration of the parenchyma, fibrosis, pancreatitis, and pancreatic insufficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreatic ductal malformation and acinar cell loss may be responsible for pancreatic insufficiency in Jagged1-deficient mice and, by corollary, in Alagille syndrome patients.