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CFTR Represses a PDX1 Axis to Govern Pancreatic Ductal Cell Fate
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

CFTR Represses a PDX1 Axis to Govern Pancreatic Ductal Cell Fate

Pavana G. Rotti, Yaling Yi, Grace Gasser, Feng Yuan, Xingshen Sun, Idil Apak-Evans, Peipei Wu, Guangming Liu, Soon Choi, Rosie Reeves, …
iScience, Vol.27(12), 111393
12/2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111393
PMCID: PMC11647141
PMID: 39687022
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.111393View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Inflammation, acinar atrophy, and ductal hyperplasia drive pancreatic remodeling in newborn cystic fibrosis (CF) ferrets lacking a functional CFTR channel. These changes are associated with a transient phase of glucose intolerance that involves islet destruction and subsequent regeneration near hyperplastic ducts. The phenotypic changes in CF ductal epithelium and their impact on islet function are unknown. Using bulk RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, and ATAC-seq on CF ferret models, we demonstrate that ductal CFTR protein constrains PDX1 expression by maintaining PTEN and GSK3β activation. In the absence of CFTR protein, centroacinar cells adopted a bi-potent progenitor-like state associated with enhanced WNT/β-Catenin, TGFβ and AKT signaling. We show that the level of CFTR protein, not its channel function, regulates PDX1 expression. Thus, this study has discovered a cell-autonomous CFTR-dependent mechanism by which CFTR mutations that produced little to no protein could impact pancreatic exocrine/endocrine remodeling in people with CF. [Display omitted] •The lack of CFTR leads to activation of PDX1 in pancreatic ductal epithelium.•CFTR-KO (CF) duct epithelium have open chromatin at endocrine regulatory loci.•Expansion of centroacinar cells observed in CFTR-KO epithelium.•The absence of CFTR protein inhibits PTEN and activates WNT and PDX1expression.
centroacinar cells Cystic fibrosis related diabetes pancreatic progenitors PDX1 PTEN signaling terminal ductal cells WNT signaling

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