Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Islets. 2012 Jul-Aug;4(4):320-2. doi: 10.4161/isl.21984. Epub 2012 Jul 1.
A full understanding of embryonic endocrine pancreas development will be key to the establishment of islet replacement strategies. In particular, it is important to identify molecular pathways that establish the correct balance of specific endocrine pancreatic islet cell types. Recently, our work in the zebrafish has revealed that the correct ratio of α and β cell fates depends on the homeodomain transcription factor Mnx1 (Hb9); in the absence of functional Mnx1, β cell precursors give rise to α cells. ( 1) Our study suggests that mnx1 may function in β cell precursors to suppress the α cell fate. Here we consider how Mnx1 may interact with other endocrine-specific transcription factors to specify β cells. Our work emphasizes the vital importance of Mnx1 for β cell development, and suggests that identifying Mnx1 transcriptional targets in β cell precursors may provide important new information of direct relevance to stem cell-based protocols to cure diabetes.
充分了解胚胎内分泌胰腺的发育将是建立胰岛替代策略的关键。特别是，确定建立特定内分泌胰腺胰岛细胞类型正确平衡的分子途径非常重要。最近，我们在斑马鱼中的工作表明，α 和 β 细胞命运的正确比例取决于同源域转录因子 Mnx1（Hb9）; 在功能性 Mnx1 缺失的情况下，β 细胞前体产生α 细胞。（1）我们的研究表明，mnx1 可能在β 细胞前体中发挥作用，以抑制α 细胞命运。在这里，我们考虑 Mnx1 如何与其他内分泌特异性转录因子相互作用以指定β 细胞。我们的工作强调了 Mnx1 对β 细胞发育的至关重要性，并表明鉴定β 细胞前体中的 Mnx1 转录靶标可能为基于干细胞的治疗糖尿病方案提供重要的新信息。
