CD168 Identifies Proliferating Pancreatic Islet Cells in Murine and Human.

ABSTRACT: Restoring functional β-cell mass through proliferation is a central goal of diabetes therapy, but progress has been hampered by the inability to isolate live, proliferating β-cells for study. Here, CD168 is identified as a conserved surface marker that specifically enriches for proliferating cells in mouse and human pancreatic islets. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals a distinct cluster of islet cells with high proliferative activity, low insulin expression, and specific CD168 expression. Flow cytometry and immunostaining confirm CD168⁺ cells co-localize with Ki67⁺ proliferating cells, reside in G2/M phase, and comprise ≈0.5% of adult islet cells. Using a new CD168-CreERT2 mouse model for lineage tracing, it is demonstrated that CD168⁺ cells rapidly divide, forming t

SUBMITTER: Yuan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12915181 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature