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Nestin expression in pancreatic exocrine cell lineages
Alexandra Delacour1, Virginie Nepote, Andreas Trumpp
1Department of Morphology, room 5040, University of Geneva Medical School, 1 rue Michel-Servet, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
Mechanisms of Development
|January 7, 2004
Summary
Nestin is not a marker for pancreatic islet stem cells. This study found nestin expression in the exocrine pancreas, not in endocrine progenitor cells, during development and after injury.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Nestin is a protein suggested to mark pancreatic islet stem cells.
- Understanding stem cell markers is crucial for regenerative medicine and disease research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate nestin expression in pancreatic stem cells during embryonic development and adult injury.
- To determine if nestin is a reliable marker for pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells.
Main Methods:
- Utilized transgenic mice with Cre recombinase under nestin promoter control crossed with R26R reporter mice.
- Performed cell lineage analysis via beta-galactosidase reporter expression.
- Used anti-nestin antibody to detect endogenous nestin expression.
Main Results:
- Beta-galactosidase labeling was observed in mesenchymal, epithelial, acinar, ductal, fibroblast, and vascular cells, but not endocrine cells.
- Endogenous nestin expression was transient in developing epithelial cells and vascular/mesenchymal structures.
- Partial pancreatectomy showed transient nestin-labeled endothelial cells, but no endocrine cell labeling.
Conclusions:
- Nestin is expressed in the pancreatic exocrine cell lineage.
- Consistent nestin expression is not a characteristic of pancreatic islet endocrine progenitor cells.