Sweet Relief: Reprogramming Gastric Endocrine Cells to Make Insulin Heather A. McCauley, James M. Wells  Cell Stem Cell  Volume 18, Issue 3, Pages 295-297 (March 2016) DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.02.009 Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Generation and Regeneration of Insulin-Expressing Cells in the Gastrointestinal Tract The top panel illustrates that some transcription factors are expressed in multiple organs of the gastrotinestinal (GI) tract including the stomach, pancreas, and intestines, whereas other factors like Cdx2 are restricted to the intestine. The bottom panel indicates how expression of Neurog3, Pdx1, and MafA (NPM factors) causes GI endocrine cells to produce and secrete insulin (green circles). Insulin-producing cells in the intestine persist for 1 week, whereas those in the stomach persist for 3 weeks and are more similar to bona fide beta cells. Unlike beta cells in the pancreas, insulin-expressing cells in the GI tract can be regenerated following ablation by streptozotocin. Cell Stem Cell 2016 18, 295-297DOI: (10.1016/j.stem.2016.02.009) Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions