β-cells are a type of endocrine cell found in pancreatic islets that synthesize,store and release insulin.In type 1 diabetes(T1D),T-cells of the immune system selectively destroy the insulin-producingβ-cells.Destruc...β-cells are a type of endocrine cell found in pancreatic islets that synthesize,store and release insulin.In type 1 diabetes(T1D),T-cells of the immune system selectively destroy the insulin-producingβ-cells.Destruction of these cells leads to a lifelong dependence on exogenous insulin administration for survival.Consequently,there is an urgent need to identify novel therapies that stimulateβ-cell growth and induceβ-cell function.We and others have shown that pancreatic ductal progenitor cells are a promising source for regeneratingβ-cells for T1D owing to their inherent differentiation capacity.Default transcriptional suppression is refractory to exocrine reaction and tightly controls the regenerative potential by the EZH2 methyltransferase.In the present study,we show that transient stimulation of exocrine cells,derived from juvenile and adult T1D donors to the FDAapproved EZH2 inhibitors GSK126 and Tazemetostat(Taz)influence a phenotypic shift towards aβ-like cell identity.The transition from repressed to permissive chromatin states are dependent on bivalent H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 chromatin modification.Targeting EZH2 is fundamental toβ-cell regenerative potential.Reprogrammed pancreatic ductal cells exhibit insulin production and secretion in response to a physiological glucose challenge ex vivo.These pre-clinical studies underscore the potential of small molecule inhibitors as novel modulators of ductal progenitor differentiation and a promising new approach for the restoration ofβ-like cell function.展开更多
基金National Health and Medical Research Council(NHMRC)Senior Research Fellow(grant 1154650)acknowledges grant support from NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies(grant 2014763)+1 种基金supported by a strategic research agreement by JDRF International grant(2-SRA-2024-1442-S-B)a research grant from the Danish Diabetes Academy to A.E.O.,which is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation,grant NNF17SA0031406.
文摘β-cells are a type of endocrine cell found in pancreatic islets that synthesize,store and release insulin.In type 1 diabetes(T1D),T-cells of the immune system selectively destroy the insulin-producingβ-cells.Destruction of these cells leads to a lifelong dependence on exogenous insulin administration for survival.Consequently,there is an urgent need to identify novel therapies that stimulateβ-cell growth and induceβ-cell function.We and others have shown that pancreatic ductal progenitor cells are a promising source for regeneratingβ-cells for T1D owing to their inherent differentiation capacity.Default transcriptional suppression is refractory to exocrine reaction and tightly controls the regenerative potential by the EZH2 methyltransferase.In the present study,we show that transient stimulation of exocrine cells,derived from juvenile and adult T1D donors to the FDAapproved EZH2 inhibitors GSK126 and Tazemetostat(Taz)influence a phenotypic shift towards aβ-like cell identity.The transition from repressed to permissive chromatin states are dependent on bivalent H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 chromatin modification.Targeting EZH2 is fundamental toβ-cell regenerative potential.Reprogrammed pancreatic ductal cells exhibit insulin production and secretion in response to a physiological glucose challenge ex vivo.These pre-clinical studies underscore the potential of small molecule inhibitors as novel modulators of ductal progenitor differentiation and a promising new approach for the restoration ofβ-like cell function.