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Updated: May 19, 2026

In Vitro Pancreas Organogenesis from Dispersed Mouse Embryonic Progenitors
Published on: July 19, 2014
A Sox9/Fgf feed-forward loop maintains pancreatic organ identity
Philip A Seymour1, Hung Ping Shih, Nisha A Patel
1Departments of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0695, USA.
The transcription factor Sox9 is essential for pancreas development. Its interaction with Fgf10 and Fgfr2b forms a crucial loop, maintaining organ identity and controlling progenitor cell growth.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Pancreatic cell types originate from multipotent progenitor cells within the developing organ.
- Integration of intrinsic and extrinsic cues governing progenitor cell expansion remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the role of the transcription factor Sox9 in regulating pancreatic organ growth and identity.
- To investigate the gene regulatory network governing pancreatic progenitor cell fate and expansion.
Main Methods:
- Genetic manipulation in mice, including Sox9 ablation in pancreatic progenitors.
- Analysis of gene expression, focusing on Sox9, Fgf10, and Fgfr2b.
- Perturbation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling in pancreatic explants.
Main Results:
- Sox9 ablation leads to pancreas-to-liver cell fate conversion.
- Sox9 deficiency causes loss of Fgfr2b, disrupting Fgf10 signaling.
- A feed-forward loop involving Sox9, Fgf10, and Fgfr2b maintains pancreatic progenitor identity and proliferation.
Conclusions:
- The Sox9/Fgf10/Fgfr2b feed-forward loop is central to pancreatic organ development.
- This loop coordinates organ fate commitment and progenitor cell expansion.
- This regulatory mechanism may be broadly applicable to organ development and regeneration.
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