Alpha cells beget beta cells.

Liu, Zhengyu; Habener, Joel F · Cell · 2009

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Understanding the origins of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas could lead to new treatments for diabetes. Collombat et al. (2009) now show that in response to injury, a population of pancreatic progenitor cells can give rise to glucagon-expressing alpha cells that then transdifferentiate into beta cells.

Medical subject headings