Analysis of Neurod1-expressing cells druing pancreatic beta cell regeneration

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K06660
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 44020:Developmental biology-related
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan University
• Principal Investigator: Matsuda Hiroki 立命館大学, 生命科学部, 助教 (60801363)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 膵β細胞 / 再生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pancreatic β cells, which produce Insulin, play a central role for glucose homeostasis. Regenerative capacity of mammalian β cells is limited and that loss of β cells causes diabetes. In contrast, even adult zebrafish has high regenerative capacity of pancreatic islets, including β cells, making them an attractive model for the study of β cell regeneration. However, fundamental questions remain, such as when β cell regeneration is completed and what is the cellular source of regenerating β cells. Here I showed that pancreatic β cell regeneration is complete 14 days after β cell ablation by two-step regeneration process, first regenerating function and then regenerating morphology. In addition, I found that pancreatic β cells arise from neurod1 expressing cells, which contacted with pancreatic α cells directly, during β cell regeneration. Altogether, my results shed light on the basic cellular mechanisms underlying β cell regeneration.

Free Research Field

発生生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒトでは再生が難しい組織(β細胞）の再生を行える高い動物の再生過程の詳細な解析を行い、この動物がβ細胞の再生に利用する細胞を明らかにし、これらを用いどのように再生するのかその細胞機構を解明した。
本研究は、現在哺乳類で行われているiPS細胞などを用いた再生研究とは異なる潮流の研究であり、これまでにない新たな視点から哺乳類のβ細胞の再生を行わせるための研究提案を行うことが可能なものであった。