Insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Potential new treatments
for this disease include cell-replacement therapies using embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We have generated ESCs from a transgenic
mouse model, mouse insulin 1 promoter (MIP) green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice, in which embryonic and adult beta cells
are genetically tagged with GFP. The aim of the present study is to examine the differentiation potential of MIP-GFP ESCs
in the microenvironment of the kidney capsule. The ESCs grew rapidly and formed a teratoma with GFP-expressing beta-like cells
present in clusters that formed a cord-like structure similar to what is seen in the embryonic pancreas. These structures
also included glucagon-expressing alpha cells and amylase-expressing acinar cells. Electron microscopic analysis showed insulin-like
granules in columnar epithelium with microvilli adjacent to exocrine-like granule-containing cells. The MIP-GFP ESCs should
be a useful research tool to study the differentiation capacity of ESCs toward pancreatic lineages.
Keywords Embryonic stem cells - Pancreatic beta cells - Pancreatic endocrine differentiation - Teratoma
Editor: J. Denry Sato