| First Author | Perez-Frances M | Year | 2021 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 4458 |
| PubMed ID | 34294685 | Mgi Jnum | J:337676 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6741404 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-021-24788-0 |
| Citation | Perez-Frances M, et al. (2021) Pancreatic Ppy-expressing gamma-cells display mixed phenotypic traits and the adaptive plasticity to engage insulin production. Nat Commun 12(1):4458 |
| abstractText | The cellular identity of pancreatic polypeptide (Ppy)-expressing gamma-cells, one of the rarest pancreatic islet cell-type, remains elusive. Within islets, glucagon and somatostatin, released respectively from alpha- and delta-cells, modulate the secretion of insulin by beta-cells. Dysregulation of insulin production raises blood glucose levels, leading to diabetes onset. Here, we present the genetic signature of human and mouse gamma-cells. Using different approaches, we identified a set of genes and pathways defining their functional identity. We found that the gamma-cell population is heterogeneous, with subsets of cells producing another hormone in addition to Ppy. These bihormonal cells share identity markers typical of the other islet cell-types. In mice, Ppy gene inactivation or conditional gamma-cell ablation did not alter glycemia nor body weight. Interestingly, upon beta-cell injury induction, gamma-cells exhibited gene expression changes and some of them engaged insulin production, like alpha- and delta-cells. In conclusion, we provide a comprehensive characterization of gamma-cells and highlight their plasticity and therapeutic potential. |
