Pedica F, Beccari S, Pedron S, Montagna L, Piccoli P, Doglioni C, Chilosi M
Pathologica. 2014 Dec;106(4):315-21.
The homeodomain-containing transcription factor pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX-1) plays a key role in pancreatic development and β-cell function. It is a major regulator of transcription in pancreatic cells, and transactivates the insulin gene by binding to a specific DNA motif in its promoter region. Glucose also regulates insulin gene transcription through PDX-1. It has been shown that PDX-1 is required for maintaining pancreatic islet functions by activating gene expression and has a dual role in pancreatic development. It initially contributes to pancreatic formation during embryogenesis and subsequently regulates the pancreatic islet cell physiology in mature islet cells. Because of this key role in the embryologic development of the pancreas, PDX-1 expression has been investigated in pancreatic cancer cell lines and human tumors. Moreover, a few reports have described expression of PDX-1 in other human neoplasms and have investigated its potential role in differential diagnosis, but data on normal human tissues are lacking. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of pancreas formation, and especially the function of PDX-1, may contribute to the improved treatment and prevention of debilitating diseases such as diabetes, insulinomas and pancreatic carcinomas. Nevertheless, further studies are needed concerning its possible application in routine practice.
含同源结构域的转录因子胰腺十二指肠同源盒1（PDX-1）在胰腺发育和β细胞功能中起关键作用。它是胰腺细胞转录的主要调节因子，通过与胰岛素基因启动子区域的特定DNA基序结合来反式激活该基因。葡萄糖也通过PDX-1调节胰岛素基因转录。已表明PDX-1通过激活基因表达来维持胰岛功能，并且在胰腺发育中具有双重作用。它最初在胚胎发生过程中促进胰腺形成，随后调节成熟胰岛细胞中的胰岛细胞生理学。由于在胰腺胚胎发育中的这一关键作用，已在胰腺癌细胞系和人类肿瘤中研究了PDX-1的表达。此外，一些报告描述了PDX-1在其他人类肿瘤中的表达，并研究了其在鉴别诊断中的潜在作用，但缺乏关于正常人体组织的数据。了解胰腺形成的分子机制，尤其是PDX-1的功能，可能有助于改善对糖尿病、胰岛素瘤和胰腺癌等使人衰弱疾病的治疗和预防。然而，关于其在常规实践中的可能应用还需要进一步研究。
