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Pancreatic Duct Infusion: An Effective and Selective Method of Drug and Viral Delivery

The pancreas is a bifunctional organ with both endocrine and exocrine components. A number of pathologies can afflict the pancreas, including diabetes, ...

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

Neurogenin-3 (ngn-3) expression is critical for endocrine development in the developing pancreas. We found that when ngn-3 was inhibited in an E11.5 pancreas, using either morpholino antisense or siRNA, it led to a significant decrease in endocrine differentiation after seven days in culture. Endocrine differentiation was rescued when ngn-3 inhibition was withdrawn after three days of culture, suggesting that the embryonic pancreas retains progenitor cells with the ability to differentiate into endocrine cell types when ngn-3 expression recurs. To determine whether the rescue phenomenon observed after withdrawing ngn-3 antisense treatment was the result of the original endocrine-committed cells reinitiating endocrine differentiation, or was instead due to new recruitment of later progenitor cells, we blocked ngn-3 expression for only the last four days of a seven-day culture. Here, insulin-positive differentiation was slightly reduced, but there was a normal number of glucagon-positive cells. In addition, there was an increase in SOX9-positive cells in ngn-3 inhibited, as well as in ngn-3 rescued pancreata, with a significant proportion of these SOX9-positive cells co-localized with DBA, an early ductal marker. This increased number of cells with co-localization of SOX9 and DBA could indicate an increased number of endocrine progenitor cells.

Endocrine-committed progenitor cells retain their differentiation potential in the absence of neurogenin-3 expression.

Glucagon-producing α-cells are the second-most abundant cell type in the islet. Whereas α-cells make up less than 20% of the cells in a mature mouse islet, they occupy a much larger proportion of the pancreatic endocrine cell population during the early postnatal period, the time when morphological and functional maturation occurs to form adult islets. To determine whether α-cells have a role in postnatal islet development, a diphtheria toxin-mediated α-cell ablation mouse model was established. Rapid and persistent depletion of α-cells was achieved by daily injection of the toxin for 2 wk starting at postnatal day 1 (P1). Total pancreatic glucagon content in the α-cell-ablated mice was undetectable at P14 and still less than 0.3% of that of the control mice at 4 mo of age. Histological analyses revealed that formation of spherical islets occurred normally, and the islet size distribution was not changed despite the near-total lack of α-cells. Furthermore, there were no differences in expression of β-cell maturation marker proteins, including urocortin 3 and glucose transporter 2, in the α-cell-ablated islets at P14. Mice lacking α-cells grew normally and appeared healthy. Both glucose and insulin tolerance tests demonstrated that the α-cell-ablated mice had normal glucose homeostasis. These results indicate that α-cells do not play a critical role in postnatal islet morphogenesis or functional maturation of β-cells.

α-Cells are dispensable in postnatal morphogenesis and maturation of mouse pancreatic islets.

Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is an important signaling molecule that plays a critical role in the development of acute pancreatitis. Current methods for examining NF-κB activation involve infection of an adenoviral NF-κB-luciferase reporter into cell lines or electrophoretic mobility shift assay of lysate. The use of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) has proven to be an effective method of transfecting whole organs in live animals. We examined whether intrapancreatic duct infusion of AAV containing an NF-κB-luciferase reporter (AAV-NF-κB-luciferase) can reliably measure pancreatic NF-κB activation. We confirmed the infectivity of the AAV-NF-κB-luciferase reporter in HEK293 cells using a traditional luciferase readout. Mice were infused with AAV-NF-κB-luciferase 5 weeks before induction of pancreatitis (caerulein, 50 μg/kg). Unlike transgenic mice that globally express NF-κB-luciferase, AAV-infused mice showed a 15-fold increase in pancreas-specific NF-κB bioluminescence following 12 h of caerulein compared with baseline luminescence (p < 0.05). The specificity of the NF-κB-luciferase signal to the pancreas was confirmed by isolating the pancreas and adjacent organs and observing a predominant bioluminescent signal in the pancreas compared with liver, spleen, and stomach. A complementary mouse model of post-ERCP-pancreatitis also induced pancreatic NF-κB signals. Taken together these data provide the first demonstration that NF-κB activation can be examined in a live, dynamic fashion during pancreatic inflammation. We believe this technique offers a valuable tool to study real-time activation of NF-κB in vivo. 

Dynamic imaging of pancreatic nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation in live mice using adeno-associated virus (AAV) infusion and bioluminescence.

The Cre/loxP system, which enables tissue-specific manipulation of genes, is widely used in mice for diabetes research. Our aim was to develop a new Cre-driver mouse line for the specific and efficient manipulation of genes in pancreatic alpha cells.

Gcg  knockin mice as a tool for genetic manipulation in pancreatic alpha cells.

Infectious and genetic factors are invoked, respectively in isolated biliary atresia (BA), or syndromic BA, with major extrahepatic anomalies. However, isolated BA is also associated with minor extrahepatic gut and cardiovascular anomalies and multiple susceptibility genes, suggesting common origins.

Krishna Prasadan

Department of Pediatric Surgery

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

Pancreatic Duct Infusion: An Effective and Selective Method of Drug and Viral Delivery

Krishna Prasadan

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Pediatric Surgery

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

Pancreatic Duct Infusion: An Effective and Selective Method of Drug and Viral Delivery

Department of Pediatric Surgery