Open AccessAlpha the versatile: Guardians of the islets
Author(s) -
Kawamori Dan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of diabetes investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.089
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 2040-1124
pISSN - 2040-1116
DOI - 10.1111/jdi.12875
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology
Recent progress in α‐cell research has newly revealed its versatility including secretion of multiple hormones, trans‐differentiation, and abundant proliferation. A recent report from the Kushner laboratory further provided direct evidence of active proliferation of α‐cells in both T1D and non‐diabetic control donors. α‐cells are suggested to maintain both quality and quantity of islets by serving as ‘guardians’ of the islets.