Title:Beta Cell Formation in vivo Through Cellular Networking, Integration and Processing (CNIP) in Wild Type Adult Mice
Volume: 17
Issue: 4
Author(s): Bruno Doiron, Wenchao Hu and Ralph A DeFronzo
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Beta cell formation, insulin secretion, in vivo
Abstract: Insulin replacement therapy is essential in type 1 diabetic individuals and is required in ~40-
50% of type 2 diabetics during their lifetime. Prior attempts at beta cell regeneration have relied upon
pancreatic injury to induce beta cell proliferation, dedifferentiation and activation of the embryonic
pathway, or stem cell replacement. We report an alternative method to transform adult non-stem (somatic)
cells into pancreatic beta cells. The Cellular Networking, Integration and Processing (CNIP)
approach targets cellular mechanisms involved in pancreatic function in the organ’s adult state and
utilizes a synergistic mechanism that integrates three important levels of cellular regulation to induce
beta cell formation: (i) glucose metabolism, (ii) membrane receptor function, and (iii) gene transcription. The aim of the
present study was to induce pancreatic beta cell formation in vivo in adult animals without stem cells and without dedifferentiating
cells to recapitulate the embryonic pathway as previously published (1-3). Our results employing CNIP demonstrate
that: (i) insulin secreting cells can be generated in adult pancreatic tissue in vivo and circumvent the problem of
generating endocrine (glucagon and somatostatin) cells that exert deleterious effects on glucose homeostasis, and (ii) longterm
normalization of glucose tolerance and insulin secretion can be achieved in a wild type diabetic mouse model. The
CNIP cocktail has the potential to be used as a preventative or therapeutic treatment or cure for both type 1 and type 2
diabetes.
