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In Situ Analysis Reveals That CFTR Is Expressed in Only a Small Minority of beta-Cells in Normal Adult Human Pancreas
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

In Situ Analysis Reveals That CFTR Is Expressed in Only a Small Minority of beta-Cells in Normal Adult Human Pancreas

Michael G. White, Rashmi R. Maheshwari, Scott J. Anderson, Rolando Berlinguer-Palmini, Claire Jones, Sarah J. Richardson, Pavana G. Rotti, Sarah L. Armour, Yuchun Ding, Natalio Krasnogor, …
The journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, Vol.105(5), pp.1366-1374
05/01/2020
DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgz209
PMCID: PMC7341165
PMID: 31748811
url
https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgz209View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Context: Although diabetes affects 40% to 50% of adults with cystic fibrosis, remarkably little is known regarding the underlying mechanisms leading to impaired pancreatic beta-cell insulin secretion. Efforts toward improving the functional beta-cell deficit in cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) have been hampered by an incomplete understanding of whether beta-cell function is intrinsically regulated by cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Definitively excluding meaningful CFTR expression in human beta-cells in situ would contribute significantly to the understanding of CFRD pathogenesis. Objective: To determine CFTR messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression within beta-cells in situ in the unmanipulated human pancreas of donors without any known pancreatic pathology. Design: In situ hybridization for CFTR mRNA expression in parallel with insulin immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence co-localization of CFTR with insulin and the ductal marker, Keratin-7 (KRT7), were undertaken in pancreatic tissue blocks from 10 normal adult, nonobese deceased organ donors over a wide age range (23-71 years) with quantitative image analysis. Results: CFTR mRNA was detectable in a mean 0.45% (range 0.17%-0.83%) of insulin-positive cells. CFTR protein expression was co-localized with KRT7. One hundred percent of insulinpositive cells were immunonegative for CFTR. Conclusions: For the first time, in situ CFTR mRNA expression in the unmanipulated pancreas has been shown to be present in only a very small minority (<1%) of normal adult beta-cells. These data signal a need to move away from studying endocrine-intrinsic mechanisms and focus on elucidation of exocrine-endocrine interactions in human cystic fibrosis.
Endocrinology & Metabolism Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology

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