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Gene expression in human islet cells varies by age
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Two new proteins identified in human islet cells showed differences in gene expression patterns and DNA modification based on the ages of donors, according to recent study findings.
The two proteins, identified as SIX3 and SIX2, were analyzed from the pancreas tissue of dozens of deceased donors ranging from age 6 moths to 66 years, and show that the pancreas continues to develop and mature during the first decades of life, according to researchers. The proteins are not expressed in mouse beta cells.
“Studying human islet cells has been a major challenge in the field of diabetes research for decades, because the pancreas essentially digests itself shortly after a person’s death,” Seung Kim, MD, PhD, professor of developmental biology at Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a press release. “We’ve developed a nationwide network of removing and studying pancreatic tissue from organ donors as young as 6 months and as old as 66 [years] within about a day and a half after death. This gave us an unprecedented opportunity to chart changes in gene expression spanning the course of a lifetime.”
In the study, researchers found that, by increasing expression of SIX3m the beta cell’s ability to respond to rising glucose levels was enhanced. The SIX2 protein showed a similar pattern of expression in beta cells.
The findings suggest that the duration of postnatal human beta-cell development may be longer than previously considered and that insulin secretion increases with age in human beta cells, the researchers wrote.
“This is a tantalizing link,” Kim said. “It appears that genes whose expression changes from childhood to adulthood may be disproportionately associated with an increased risk for diabetes.”