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Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Parallel Measurement of Circadian Clock Gene Expression and Hormone Secretion in Human Primary Cell Cultures
Published on: November 11, 2016
DEC1 regulates human β cell functional maturation and circadian rhythm
Sam Preza1, Bliss Zheng2, Zihan Gao1
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Abstract:
Stem cell-derived islet (SC-islet) organoids offer hope for cell replacement therapy in diabetes, but their immature function remains a challenge. Mature islet function requires the β cell circadian clock, yet how the clock regulates maturation is unclear. Here, we show that a circadian transcription factor specific to maturing SC-β cells, DEC1, regulates insulin responsiveness to glucose. SC-islet organoids form normally from DEC1-ablated human pluripotent stem cells, but their insulin release capacity and glucose threshold fail to increase during in vitro culture and upon transplant. This deficit reflects the downregulation of maturity-linked effectors of glucose utilization and insulin exocytosis, blunting glycolytic and oxidative metabolism, and is rescued by increasing metabolic flux. Moreover, DEC1 is needed to boost SC-islet maturity by synchronizing circadian glucose-responsive insulin secretion rhythms and clock machinery. Thus, DEC1 links circadian rhythms to human β cell maturation, highlighting the essential role of circadian control in generating fully functional SC-islet organoids.
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