Pancreatic beta cells: responding to the matrix.
Level V
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Abstract
In a recent issue of Developmental Cell, Nikolova et al. (2006) make the unusual discovery that, unlike most epithelial cells, pancreatic beta cells do not produce a basement membrane of extracellular matrix. Rather, the matrix is provided to a subset of beta cells by local capillary endothelial cells, explaining in part how the endothelium helps promote optimal levels of insulin production.
Medical subject headings
- Endothelial Cells
- Extracellular Matrix
- Insulin-Secreting Cells