Fatty Pancreas – Deep characterization of pancreatic adipogenic precursor cells

Einleitung Obesity is accompanied by ectopic fat deposition in peripheral tissues such as liver and pancreas. However, the impact of pancreatic adipocytes on islet cell physiology remains unclear. New Zealand Obese (NZO) mice develop obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) accompanied by pancreatic fat deposition and an impaired insulin secretion, whereas obese but diabetes-resistant B6.V-ob/ob (OB) mice store significantly less fat in the pancreas with normal beta cell function. We aim to explore the specificity of pancreatic adipogenic precursor cells (APCs) to better understand their formation and their role in T2D.

Methoden APCs from the pancreas of 8-week-old C57BL/6 J mice were isolated via fluorescent-activated cell sorting and expanded for four days. For a detailed characterization, transcriptome and miRNome analysis were performed and compared with APCs from inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT).

Ergebnisse We identified 4373 transcripts and 121 mature miRNAs that are differentially expressed between pancreatic and iWAT-derived APCs. miRNA target prediction revealed that 71 miRNAs are theoretically responsible for the differential expression of 2242 genes. Pathway enrichment analysis highlighted the role of genes that are linked to extracellular-matrix- and DNA-binding-related pathways.

Schlussfolgerung Pancreatic APCs display a specific transcriptome and miRNome and most likely participate in T2D risk.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
04. September 2020