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Can GABA turn pancreatic α-cells into β-cells?

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 14, pages 629–630 (2018)Cite this article

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The neurotransmitter GABA has been shown to induce the transdifferentiation of α-cells into β-cells, restoring normoglycaemia in a mouse model of diabetes mellitus. A recent paper by Amanda Ackermann and colleagues, however, failed to reproduce these findings. Here, we discuss the discrepant findings and propose a systematic approach to solve the controversy.

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Fig. 1: Investigating the effect of GABA on β-like cell transdifferentiation from α-cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

    Decio L. Eizirik & Esteban N. Gurzov

Authors
  1. Decio L. Eizirik
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  2. Esteban N. Gurzov
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Correspondence to Decio L. Eizirik or Esteban N. Gurzov.

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Competing interests

D.L.E. is a co-author on Ben-Othman, N. et al. Long-term GABA administration induces α cell-mediated β-like cell neogenesis. Cell 168, 73–85 (2017), but is presently not involved in follow-up experiments on the effects of GABA on α-cell transdifferentiation; he has no other competing interests. E.N.G. declares no competing interests.

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Eizirik, D.L., Gurzov, E.N. Can GABA turn pancreatic α-cells into β-cells?. Nat Rev Endocrinol 14, 629–630 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-018-0101-6

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