Islet

CONTEXT: Diabetes is associated with a deficit of insulin-producing β-cells. Animal studies show that β-cells become dedifferentiated in diabetes, reverting to a progenitor-like stage, and partly converting to other endocrine cell types. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether similar processes occur in human type 2 diabetes, we surveyed pancreatic islets from 15 diabetic and 15 nondiabetic organ donors. DESIGN: We scored dedifferentiation using markers of endocrine lineage, β-cell-specific transcription factors, and a newly identified endocrine progenitor cell marker, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3...