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Determining If C-Fos Regulates Glucose Stimulated Insulin, Benjamin Bitner, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Increasing a patient’s functional β-cell mass may provide a cure for both types of diabetes. Previous studies have shown that overexpression of the homeodomain transcription factor Nkx6.1 stimulates β-cell proliferation, increases glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and decreases apoptosis¹. Functional β-cell mass is defined by the number of β-cells, which is dependent on proliferation and apoptosis rates, multiplied by the ability to secrete insulin. Increasing β-cell proliferation or insulin secretion while decreasing apoptosis could be used as a treatment to produce β-cells for islet transplantation, a potential cure for diabetes.