Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Islet Clusters
08:41

Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Islet Clusters

Published on: June 23, 2023

4.0K

The De-, Re-, and trans-differentiation of β-cells: Regulation and function

Jingjing Zhang1, Feng Liu2

  • 1Department of Metabolism & Endocrinology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology (Central South University), Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|January 18, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Diabetes treatment faces challenges due to beta-cell loss. Understanding beta-cell dedifferentiation and renewal offers new therapeutic targets for curing diabetes.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology and Metabolism
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Regenerative Medicine

Background:

  • Diabetes mellitus is a global health crisis with significant economic burden.
  • Current treatments manage but do not cure diabetes due to limitations in addressing beta-cell loss and dysfunction.
  • Restoring beta-cell mass through stem cell differentiation or beta-cell renewal is a key therapeutic goal.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current understanding of beta-cell dedifferentiation, redifferentiation, and transdifferentiation.
  • To explore mechanisms regulating these processes in maintaining beta-cell homeostasis.
  • To highlight the potential of these processes for developing novel diabetes therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent research on pancreatic beta-cell biology.
  • Synthesis of data on stem cell differentiation and beta-cell renewal pathways.
  • Analysis of regulatory mechanisms involved in beta-cell dedifferentiation and redifferentiation.

Main Results:

  • Beta-cell dedifferentiation is implicated in diabetes progression.
  • Stem cell differentiation, proliferation, redifferentiation, and transdifferentiation are pathways to increase beta-cell mass.
  • Understanding these processes is crucial for beta-cell replacement strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Beta-cell dedifferentiation plays a critical role in diabetes.
  • Targeting beta-cell dedifferentiation, redifferentiation, and transdifferentiation holds promise for diabetes cure.
  • Further research into beta-cell homeostasis mechanisms can inform effective therapeutic development.
Keywords:
DedifferentiationDiabetesPancreatic β-cellsRedifferentiationTransdifferentiation

More Related Videos

Analysis of Beta-cell Function Using Single-cell Resolution Calcium Imaging in Zebrafish Islets08:50

Analysis of Beta-cell Function Using Single-cell Resolution Calcium Imaging in Zebrafish Islets

Published on: July 3, 2018

15.2K
Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Into Pancreatic Beta-Cell Precursors in a 2D Culture System10:12

Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Into Pancreatic Beta-Cell Precursors in a 2D Culture System

Published on: December 16, 2021

3.1K

Related Concept Videos

Forced Transdifferentiation01:28

Forced Transdifferentiation

Transdifferentiation, also known as lineage reprogramming, was first discovered by Selman and Kafatos in 1974 in silkmoths. They observed that the moths’ cuticle-producing cells transformed into salt-producing cells. Many such cases of natural transdifferentiation occur in organisms. In humans, pancreatic alpha cells can become beta cells. In newts, the loss of the eye’s lens causes the pigmented epithelial cells to transdifferentiate into the lens cells.
Artificial...
2.2K
Tissue Renewal without Stem Cells01:23

Tissue Renewal without Stem Cells

After cellular or tissue damage, the resident stem cells present in the human body can locally repair and regenerate the damaged tissue or organ. However, even though some tissues do not have stem cells, they can repair and regenerate with the help of pre-existing cells. For example, beta cells of the pancreas and hepatocytes of the liver can divide to renew and regenerate the tissue. Here, both cell division and cell death are well regulated by homeostasis.
However, failure of such a system...
2.0K
Cellular Differentiation00:57

Cellular Differentiation

How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
4.9K
iPS Cell Differentiation01:22

iPS Cell Differentiation

The ability of induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs to differentiate into most body cell types has stimulated repair and regenerative medicine research over the past few decades. iPSC-derived blood cells, hepatocytes, beta islet cells, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other cell types can repair injuries or regenerate damaged tissue in diseases such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.
3.0K
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose01:16

Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose

Insulin is released by beta cells of the pancreas when blood glucose levels are high. It facilitates glucose absorption and utilization in insulin-dependent cells with insulin receptors on their plasma membranes. Insulin promotes glucose uptake by increasing the number of glucose transport proteins in the cell membrane, allowing glucose to enter the cell. As a result, glucose utilization and ATP production are enhanced.
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
6.1K
Feedback Loops01:01

Feedback Loops

In most cases, excessive hormone production is prevented by negative feedback—a loop that starts with a stimulus inducing the release of a particular substance, like a hormone, to maintain a certain level before triggering a signal that results in a decrease in further release of the hormone.
63.4K