Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026
11:56
Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Immunosurgery
Published on: December 13, 2007
34.7K
Acquisition of Dynamic Function in Human Stem Cell-Derived β Cells.
Leonardo Velazco-Cruz1, Jiwon Song1, Kristina G Maxwell2
1Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8127, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Stem Cell Reports
|January 22, 2019
Summary
Human pluripotent stem cell-derived beta cells show improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and dynamic release. This strategy enhances their potential for diabetes cellular therapy.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical research
- Stem cell biology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can differentiate into insulin-producing cells.
- Current stem cell-derived beta (SC-β) cells exhibit limited insulin secretion and lack dynamic release.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an improved differentiation strategy for SC-β cells.
- To generate SC-β cells with enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and dynamic insulin release.
Main Methods:
- Modulating transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling during differentiation.
- Controlling cellular cluster size.
- Utilizing enriched serum-free media.
Main Results:
- Generated SC-β cells express key beta cell markers.
- Achieved GSIS with both first- and second-phase dynamic insulin secretion.
- Transplanted cells significantly improved glucose tolerance in mice.
Conclusions:
- Specific temporal control of TGF-β signaling is crucial for SC-β cell functional maturation.
- These enhanced SC-β cells represent a promising source for diabetes cellular therapy.
Related Concept Videos
01:33Adult Stem Cells
33.8K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously...
33.8K
00:58Embryonic Stem Cells
32.4K
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
32.4K
00:57Embryonic Stem Cells
5.0K
Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
5.0K
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
28.0K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore...
28.0K
01:26The Derivative as a Function
85
A derivative quantifies how a function changes in response to variations in its input. It provides a localized rate of change, representing the slope of the tangent line to the function at any given point. When this process is applied systematically across the entire domain of the function, it yields a new function—the derivative function—which encodes the rate of change at every point. This concept is central to calculus and essential for understanding the behavior of dynamic...
85
01:19Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
2.7K
Different fluorescence-based techniques are used to study the protein dynamics in living cells. These techniques include FRAP, FRET, and PET.
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
2.7K