Dr. Yuval Dor, Medical School

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Image Analysis of ß Cell Development
Anat Afek
Dr. Yuval Dor, Medical School Tommy Kaplan
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The Pancreas
The Pancreas Islets of Langerhans

• Exocrine cells,
• secreting enzymes
• into the digestive
• system

• The endocrine cells
• are mainly grouped
• into the islets of
• Langerhans

• Hormones producing
• endocrine cells

J. M. W. Slack, Development, 1995 J. J. Heit et
al., Annual review of Cell and Developmental
Biology, 2006
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ß Cells
- ß cells secrete Insulin
- Diabetes patients have significantly less
ß cells mass than non-diabetic people
J. M. W. Slack, Development, 1995 J. J. Heit et
al., Annual review of Cell and Developmental
Biology, 2006
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By studying the differentiation and replication
of ß cells, we could develop new treatments to
diabetes and other related diseases.
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October 2001
Eckhard Lammert
Douglas Melton
Ondine Cleaver
E. Lammert et al., Science, 2001
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Hypothesis
New ß cells are formed close to blood vessels
PECAM NGN3 Insulin
PECAM Insulin
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PECAM Insulin
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PECAM Insulin
ß cell
Blood vessel
ß cell cluster
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Assumptions
Single cells are newly formed
Clusters are the product of beta cell
proliferation
Thus We will focus on single cells
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Expectations
Single ß cells are closer to blood
vessels than random distribution of the
cells
distribution
Distance from vessel
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Vessels Single ß cell Cluster
Single cells
Separate channels
Clusters
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(No Transcript)
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Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test
H0 Newly formed ß cells and blood
vessels are independent H1 No
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Reject H0
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Biological Conclusion

• Stem cells differentiate to ß cells
• preferably near vessels

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A few words about clusters
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Future work- We can compare the
distribution of ß cells distances from
vessels to that of other cell types
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Future work (contd)

• Identify factors which
• affect ß cells
• replication in the adult
• islet

Insulin Brdu Glucagon
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Thanks!?