Rat neonatal beta cells lack the specialised metabolic phenotype of mature beta cells.

ABSTRACT:

Aims/hypothesis

Fetal and neonatal beta cells have poor glucose-induced insulin secretion and only gain robust glucose responsiveness several weeks after birth. We hypothesise that this unresponsiveness is due to a generalised immaturity of the metabolic pathways normally found in beta cells rather than to a specific defect.

Methods

Using laser-capture microdissection we excised beta cell-enriched cores of pancreatic islets from day 1 (P1) neonatal and young adult Sprague-Dawley rats in order to compare their gene-expression profiles using Affymetrix U34A microarrays (neonatal, n = 4; adult, n = 3).

Results

Using dChip software for analysis, 217 probe sets for genes/38 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were significantly higher and 345 probe sets for genes/33 ESTs signif

SUBMITTER: Jermendy A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3045081 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature