Part 2 of a 3 part series on the recent JDRF/University of Geneva study of α-to-β-cell conversion in mice. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
The researchers concluded that the α-cells were responsible for the new insulin-producing β-cells that were being created, but this leaves open the big question of how. The study does not answer this question, but does offer a potential explanation, and does open the door to further research in this area.
α- and β-cells might seem functionally opposite if you just look at their affects– α-cells produce a hormone that raises blood glucose levels, and β-cells produce a hormone that lowers them– but biologically speaking the cells are fairly similar. They share several transcription factors (proteins that bind to certain segments of DNA and help control the flow of genetic information), and have similar means of managing glucose and secreting hormones. These similarities mean that the differences between the two cell types is one of specific gene and protein interaction, rather than one of basic machinery and type.
Read More