| First Author | Simeone DM | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab | Volume | 291 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | E1305-16 |
| PubMed ID | 16735447 | Mgi Jnum | J:115825 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3692240 | Doi | 10.1152/ajpendo.00561.2005 |
| Citation | Simeone DM, et al. (2006) Islet hypertrophy following pancreatic disruption of Smad4 signaling. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 291(6):E1305-16 |
| abstractText | To investigate the role of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta family signaling in the adult pancreas, a transgenic mouse (E-dnSmad4) was created that expresses a dominant-negative Smad4 protein driven by a fragment of the elastase promoter. Although E-dnSmad4 mice have normal growth, pancreas weight, and pancreatic exocrine and ductal histology, beginning at 4-6 wk of age, E-dnSmad4 mice show an age-dependent increase in the size of islets. In parallel, an expanded population of replicating cells expressing the E-dnSmad4 transgene is found in the stroma between the enlarged islets and pancreatic ducts. Despite the marked enlargement, E-dnSmad4 islets contain normal ratios and spatial organization of endocrine cell subtypes and have normal glucose homeostasis. Replication of cells derived from primary duct cultures of wild-type mice, but not E-dnSmad4 mice, was inhibited by the addition of TGF-beta family proteins, demonstrating a cell-autonomous effect of the transgene. These data show that, in the adult pancreas, TGF-beta family signaling plays a role in islet size by regulating the growth of a pluripotent progenitor cell residing in the periductal stroma of the pancreas. |
