Appearance of a regenerating (reg) gene protein in pancreatic islets of remission BB/Wor//Tky rats

Endocr J. 1993 Apr;40(2):269-73. doi: 10.1507/endocrj.40.269.

Abstract

Remission of diabetes, i.e. significant amelioration from absolute insulin-dependency, has been sometimes observed in diabetic BB/Wor//Tky rats which were treated with insulin. In remission BB/Wor//Tky rats, plasma glucose levels improved to near normal level and insulin content was also preserved as much as that between diabetic and non-diabetic rats. In this process, we hypothesized that autoimmune insulitis was suppressed and remaining islet B-cells was restored from severe destruction by recovering in number and/or function. While, recently, a novel regenerating (reg) gene, identified in the regenerating pancreatic islets of surgical models, is reported to be related to the replication of pancreatic B-cells in vitro. Based on these findings, we histologically investigated whether the reg protein could be actually expressed or not in the islets from remission BB/Wor//Tky rats. As expected, reg protein was observed in the islets from remission BB/Wor//Tky rats mainly in accordance with pancreatic B-cells. Thus, the present findings suggested that the regeneration of pancreatic B-cells represented by the expression of reg protein might be, at least in part, relevant to remission induced by insulin therapy in spontaneously occurring Type 1 diabetes in BB/Wor//Tky rats.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation / physiology
  • Islets of Langerhans / anatomy & histology
  • Islets of Langerhans / metabolism*
  • Lithostathine
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins*
  • Phosphoproteins / metabolism*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Strains

Substances

  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • Lithostathine
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Phosphoproteins
  • Reg1a protein, rat