Transcriptional Heterogeneity of Beta Cells in the Intact Pancreas

Lydia Farack, Matan Golan, Adi Egozi, Nili Dezorella, Keren Bahar Halpern, Shani Ben-Moshe, Immacolata Garzilli, Beata Toth, Lior Roitman, Valery Krizhanovsky, Shalev Itzkovitz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Pancreatic beta cells have been shown to be heterogeneous at multiple levels. However, spatially interrogating transcriptional heterogeneity in the intact tissue has been challenging. Here, we developed an optimized protocol for single-molecule transcript imaging in the intact pancreas and used it to identify a sub-population of "extreme'' beta cells with elevated mRNA levels of insulin and other secretory genes. Extreme beta cells contain higher ribosomal and proinsulin content but lower levels of insulin protein in fasted states, suggesting they may be tuned for basal insulin secretion. They exhibit a distinctive intra-cellular polarization pattern, with elevated mRNA concentrations in an apical ER-enriched compartment, distinct from the localization of nascent and mature proteins. The proportion of extreme cells increases in db/db diabetic mice, potentially facilitating the required increase in basal insulin. Our results thus highlight a sub-population of beta cells that may carry distinct functional roles along physiological and pathological timescales.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)115-125
Number of pages11
JournalDevelopmental Cell
Volume48
Issue number1
Early online date29 Nov 2018
DOIs
StatePublished - 7 Jan 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Biology
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology

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