'The pancreatic islet is necessary for maintaining glucose homeostasis. Within the pancreatic islet, the homeodomain protein Nkx2.2 is essential for the differentiation of all insulin-producing beta cells and a subset of glucagon-producing alpha cells (1). Mice lacking Nkx2.2 have relatively normal sized islets, but a large number of cells within ... More
Requirement for the L-type Ca(2+) channel alpha(1D) subunit in postnatal pancreatic beta cell generation.
AuthorsNamkung Y, Skrypnyk N, Jeong MJ, Lee T, Lee MS, Kim HL, Chin H, Suh PG, Kim SS, Shin HS,
JournalJ Clin Invest
PubMed ID11581302
Pancreatic beta cells are the source of insulin, which directly lowers blood glucose levels in the body. Our analyses of alpha(1D) gene-knockout (alpha(1D)(-/-)) mice show that the L-type calcium channel, alpha(1D), is required for proper beta cell generation in the postnatal pancreas. Knockout mice were characteristically slightly smaller than their ... More