The appearance of hepatic foci in the pancreas has been described in animal experiments and in human pathology. Here we show that pancreatic cells can be converted into hepatocytes by treatment with a synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone. This occurs both in a pancreatic cell line, AR42J-B13, and in organ cultures of pancreatic buds from mouse embryos. We have established several features of the mechanism behind this transdifferentiation. We show that a proportion of the hepatocytes arises directly from differentiated exocrine-like cells, with no intervening cell division. This conversion is associated with induction of the transcription factor C/EBPbeta and the activation of differentiated hepatic products. Transfection of C/EBPbeta into the cells can provoke transdifferentiation; conversely, a dominant-negative form of C/EBPbeta can inhibit the process. These results indicate that C/EBPbeta is a key component that distinguishes the liver and pancreatic programmes of differentiation.
We consider that the conversion of liver to pancreas could be the basis of a new type of therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes. Although expression of the transgene is transient, once the ectopic pancreas is established, it persists thereafter.
Platinum-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, but recurrence occurs in most patients. Recent evidence suggests that CD133 þ cells are the cause of drug resistance and tumor recurrence. However, the correlation between chemotherapy and regulation of CD133 þ cells has not been investigated methodically. In this study, we revealed that CD133 þ lung cancer cells labeled by a human CD133
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.