Development of pancreatic islets (Review)

Recent studies have revealed that islet cells differentiate from the epithe lial cells of primitive pancreatic ducts during embryogenesis, and can rege nerate in response to the loss of islet cells even in adult pancreas. The a bility of islet cells to regenerate raises the possibility that impaired an d decreased islets of diabetic patients can be restored. In this review, fa ctors regulating islet development including differentiation factors (Shh, activin, follistatin, and TGF alpha), transcriptional factors (PDX1, Is11, Pax4, Pax6, Nkx2.2, Nkx6.1, BETA2, and HNF), growth factors (the EGF family , HGF, IGF-I, IGF-II, Reg, INGAP, PDGF, FGF, VEGF, and NGF), hormones (insu lin, the GH family, PTHrP, TRH, and gastrin), and cell adhesion molecules ( N-CAM and cadherins) are described after a short introduction and an outlin e of pancreatic development.