The Pancreatic Beta Cell

The beta cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans are the only cells in the body that produce and secrete insulin. This metabolic hormone plays a central role in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. This book provides a comprehensive review of the beta cell in health and disease. The book’s primary aim is to encourage investigators to become actively involved in diabetes research and the search for new approaches to prevent and treat diabetes.

The beta cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans are the only cells in the body that produce and secrete insulin. This metabolic hormone plays a central role in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. This book provides a comprehensive review of the beta cell in health and disease. The book’s primary aim is to encourage investigators to become actively involved in diabetes research and the search for new approaches to prevent and treat diabetes.

First published in 1943, Vitamins and Hormones is the longest-running serial published by Academic Press. The Series provides up-to-date information on vitamin and hormone research spanning data from molecular biology to the clinic. A volume can focus on a single molecule or on a disease that is related to vitamins or hormones. A hormone is interpreted broadly so that related substances, such as transmitters, cytokines, growth factors and others can be reviewed. This volume focuses on the pancreatic beta cell. Expertise of the contributors Coverage of a vast array of subjects In depth current information at the molecular to the clinical levels Three-dimensional structures in color Elaborate signaling pathways

Plasticity in insulin-producing cells (β-cells) of the pancreas is a major contributor to metabolic control. Targeted regeneration of pancreatic β-cells for the reversal of diabetes (by optimizing β-cells mass and proliferation to meet metabolic requirements and counter autoimmune response) is still a theoretical intervention. This monograph reviews the biology, ontogeny, capabilities, and present practical limitations of β-cell plasticity. Relevant biochemical pathways are described with the inclusion of information about how they change with aging, during pregnancy, and with diet. Readers will learn the following key aspects about β-cell plasticity: -current knowledge of pancreatic β-cells development, and how β-cell mass and proliferation change throughout the human lifespan -the mechanisms responsible for β-cell plasticity, based on animal models and clinical studies revealing environmental, epigenetic, endocrine and paracrine regulators -the therapeutic potential of resident stem cells within the pancreas / bone marrow and β-cell progenitors This monograph is essential reading for researchers interested in updated knowledge about the molecular and cellular biology of β-cells in the quest to find a reliable therapy for diabetes.

Beta cells or ß-cells, are a type of cell in the pancreas in areas called the islets of Langerhans. They make up 65-80% of the cells in the islets. Pancreatic B-cell is the only cell type that produces insulin to regulate glucose metabolism in the body. The insufficiency of insulin-producing B-cells results in dysregulation of blood glucose control, termed as type 1 diabetes. This book presents current research from across the globe in the study of Beta-cells, including the induction of pancreatic cancer cell death by elevated concentrations of extracellular zinc; the role of Rab GTPases and their effectors in the insulin secretory pathway of the pancreatic beta cell; In vivo reprogramming of pancreatic A-cells into B-like cells; and the role of glucocortoids, exercise and glucolipotoxicity with regard to stress and pancreatic B-cell function.

The beta cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans are the only cells in the body that produce and secrete insulin. This metabolic hormone plays a central role in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. This book provides a comprehensive review of the beta cell in health and disease. The book’s primary aim is to encourage investigators to become actively involved in diabetes research and the search for new approaches to prevent and treat diabetes.

From the discovery of Pdx1, the first “master gene” of pancreatic development, to the most recent findings on the role of microRNAs in beta cell homeostasis, the last fifteen years have seen an unprecedented advance in our understanding of the precise development and organization of the many different cell types that make up the pancreas. It is now widely acknowledged that the therapeutic differentiation of stem cells into pancreatic cells is an ambitious endeavor that will not succeed without a thorough understanding of the molecular processes underlying the native development of the organ. This book, aimed at experts and students alike, offers a comprehensive review of the state of the art in both pancreatic development and regeneration. The many strategies to differentiate adult and embryonic stem cells into pancreatic beta cells are also discussed in the context of potential therapeutic interventions for type I diabetes.

BetaSys uses the example of regulated exocytosis in pancreatic β-cells, and its relevance to diabetes, to illustrate the major concepts of systems biology, its methods and applications.