Insulin is expressed by enteroendocrine cells during human fetal development.

Egozi, Adi; Llivichuzhca-Loja, Dhana; McCourt, Blake T; Bahar Halpern, Keren; Farack, Lydia; An, Xiaojing; Wang, Fujing; Chen, Kong et al. · Nat Med · 2021

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Generation of beta cells via transdifferentiation of other cell types is a promising avenue for the treatment of diabetes. Here we reconstruct a single-cell atlas of the human fetal and neonatal small intestine. We identify a subset of fetal enteroendocrine K/L cells that express high levels of insulin and other beta cell genes. Our findings highlight a potential extra-pancreatic source of beta cells and expose its molecular blueprint.

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