Inhibition of apoptosis by survivin improves transplantation of pancreatic islets for treatment of diabetes in mice. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Survivin is a cancer gene implicated in inhibition of apoptosis and regulation of mitosis, but its function in normal cells has remained elusive. Here, we show that transgenic mice expressing survivin in pancreatic islet beta-cells show no changes in cell proliferation, as determined by islet size or islet number. Transplantation of survivin transgenic islets in diabetic recipient mice affords long-term engraftment and stable correction of hyperglycaemia. This involves intrinsic inhibition of beta-cell apoptosis, in vivo, and global transcriptional changes in pancreatic islets with upregulation of stress response genes, antagonists of cytokine signalling and promoters of angiogenesis. These broad cytoprotective functions of survivin in vivo might be beneficial for gene therapy of diabetes.

publication date

  • February 10, 2006

Research

keywords

  • Apoptosis
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Islets of Langerhans
  • Islets of Langerhans Transplantation
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Neoplasm Proteins

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC1456913

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 33645519850

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/sj.embor.7400640

PubMed ID

  • 16470228

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 7

issue

  • 4