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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Bioluminescent Monitoring of Graft Survival in an Adoptive Transfer Model of Autoimmune Diabetes in Mice
Published on: November 18, 2022
A human beta-cell line for transplantation therapy to control type 1 diabetes
Michiki Narushima1, Naoya Kobayashi, Teru Okitsu
1Department of Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
Abstract:
A human pancreatic beta-cell line that is functionally equivalent to primary beta-cells has not been available. We established a reversibly immortalized human beta-cell clone (NAKT-15) by transfection of primary human beta-cells with a retroviral vector containing simian virus 40 large T-antigen (SV40T) and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) cDNAs flanked by paired loxP recombination targets, which allow deletion of SV40T and TERT by Cre recombinase. Reverted NAKT-15 cells expressed beta-cell transcription factors (Isl-1, Pax 6, Nkx 6.1, Pdx-1), prohormone convertases 1/3 and 2, and secretory granule proteins, and secreted insulin in response to glucose, similar to normal human islets. Transplantation of NAKT-15 cells into streptozotocin-induced diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency mice resulted in perfect control of blood glucose within 2 weeks; mice remained normoglycemic for longer than 30 weeks. The establishment of this cell line is one step toward a potential cure of diabetes by transplantation.
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