Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Pancreatic Reprogramming
Juan DomÃnguez-Bendala
Abstract Hidden behind the hype of prospective stem cell-based approaches to
treat human disease, reprogramming techniques have finally entered the landscape
of regenerative medicine and are quickly becoming one of the most exciting and
powerful weapons in the field. In the context of pancreatic regeneration, the
reprogramming of non-endocrine adult tissues to cells with phenotypes resembling
to those of the hormone-producing cells of the islets of Langerhans is a fertile and
dynamic area of research. Here we analyze two of the most studied sources of
reprogrammable cells, namely the liver and the acinar compartment of the
pancreas. Several groups have now established that the ectopic expression of
master pancreatic regulators such as Pdx1, MafA, Ngn3, or BETA2/NeuroD can
result in variable degrees of reprogramming toward pancreatic endocrine fates,
leading to insulin production in vitro, and reversal of hyperglycemia in vivo. The
state of the art and clinical prospects of these novel approaches are discussed in the
following chapter.
8.1 Introduction
Reprogramming techniques allow for a swift change of phenotype between dif-
ferent cell types. Unlike differentiation, in which there is a progressive education
toward terminal specification from more immature stem or progenitor cells,
reprogramming (also termed transdifferentiation) does not have a clear direction-
ality or require the starting cell type to be less differentiated than the ending one.
