Wierup Nils, Sundler Frank, Heller R Scott
Unit of Neuroendocrine Cell Biology, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Clinical Research Centre, Scania University Hospital, Jan Waldenströms gata 35, SE 205 02 Malmö, Sweden Imaging Team, Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, DK2760 Måløv, Denmark.
J Mol Endocrinol. 2013 Dec 19;52(1):R35-49. doi: 10.1530/JME-13-0122. Print 2014 Feb.
The islets of Langerhans are key regulators of glucose homeostasis and have been known as a structure for almost one and a half centuries. During the twentieth century several different cell types were described in the islets of different species and at different developmental stages. Six cell types with identified hormonal product have been described so far by the use of histochemical staining methods, transmission electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry. Thus, glucagon-producing α-cells, insulin-producing β-cells, somatostatin-producing δ-cells, pancreatic polypeptide-producing PP-cells, serotonin-producing enterochromaffin-cells, and gastrin-producing G-cells have all been found in the mammalian pancreas at least at some developmental stage. Species differences are at hand and age-related differences are also to be considered. Eleven years ago a novel cell type, the ghrelin cell, was discovered in the human islets. Subsequent studies have shown the presence of islet ghrelin cells in several animals, including mouse, rat, gerbils, and fish. The developmental regulation of ghrelin cells in the islets of mice has gained a lot of interest and several studies have added important pieces to the puzzle of molecular mechanisms and the genetic regulation that lead to differentiation into mature ghrelin cells. A body of evidence has shown that ghrelin is an insulinostatic hormone, and the potential for blockade of ghrelin signalling as a therapeutic avenue for type 2 diabetes is intriguing. Furthermore, ghrelin-expressing pancreatic tumours have been reported and ghrelin needs to be taken into account when diagnosing pancreatic tumours. In this review article, we summarise the knowledge about islet ghrelin cells obtained so far.
胰岛是葡萄糖稳态的关键调节者，其作为一种结构已为人所知近一个半世纪。在20世纪，人们在不同物种和不同发育阶段的胰岛中描述了几种不同的细胞类型。迄今为止，通过组织化学染色方法、透射电子显微镜和免疫组织化学已描述了六种具有明确激素产物的细胞类型。因此，至少在某些发育阶段，在哺乳动物胰腺中已发现产生胰高血糖素的α细胞、产生胰岛素的β细胞、产生生长抑素的δ细胞、产生胰多肽的PP细胞、产生5-羟色胺的肠嗜铬细胞和产生胃泌素的G细胞。存在物种差异，与年龄相关的差异也需考虑。11年前，在人类胰岛中发现了一种新型细胞类型——胃饥饿素细胞。随后的研究表明，在包括小鼠、大鼠、沙鼠和鱼类在内的几种动物的胰岛中都存在胃饥饿素细胞。小鼠胰岛中胃饥饿素细胞的发育调控引起了广泛关注，多项研究为导致分化为成熟胃饥饿素细胞的分子机制和基因调控谜题增添了重要内容。大量证据表明，胃饥饿素是一种胰岛素稳态激素，阻断胃饥饿素信号传导作为2型糖尿病的一种治疗途径具有吸引力。此外，已报道了表达胃饥饿素的胰腺肿瘤，在诊断胰腺肿瘤时需要考虑胃饥饿素。在这篇综述文章中，我们总结了迄今为止获得的关于胰岛胃饥饿素细胞的知识。
