Beta Living through Alpha Cells

Recently in Nature, Furuyama et al. (2019) Furuyama K. Chera S. van Gurp L. Oropeza D. Ghila L. Damond N. Vethe H. Paulo J.A. Joosten A.M. Berney T. et al. Diabetes relief in mice by glucose-sensing insulin-secreting human α-cells. Nature. 2019; 567 : 43-48 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar provide evidence for lineage plasticity in the human endocrine pancreas, demonstrating that α cells derived from adult human pancreatic islets can be reprogrammed to become glucose-responsive, insulin-secreting β-like cells that are capable of reversing diabetes in mouse models