Mapping histologic and functional maturation of human endocrine pancreas across early postnatal periods
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Human endocrine cell differentiation and islet morphogenesis play critical roles in determining islet cell mass and function, but the events and timeline of these processes are incompletely defined. To better understand early human islet cell development and maturation, we collected 115 pediatric pancreata and mapped morphological and spatiotemporal changes from birth through the first ten years of life. Using quantitative analyses and a combination of complementary tissue imaging approaches, including confocal microscopy and whole-slide imaging, we developed an integrated model for endocrine cell formation and islet architecture, including endocrine cell type heterogeneity and abundance, endocrine cell proliferation, and islet vascularization and innervation. We also assessed insulin and glucagon secretory profiles in isolated islet preparations from pediatric donors aged 2 months to 10 years and found a temporal difference in the maturation of insulin secretion compared to glucagon secretion. This comprehensive summary of postnatal and pediatric pancreatic islet development provides a framework for future studies and integration of emerging genetic and genomic data related to islet biology and diabetes risk.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Diane C. Saunders, Fan Feng, Alexander L. Hopkirk, Kristie I. Aamodt, Nathaniel Hart, Fong Cheng Pan, Conrad V. Reihsmann, Nike Izmaylov, Shaojun Mei, Brandon A. Sherrod, Corey Davis, Nongyao Nonpanya, Yasminye D. Pettway, Keval P. Patel, Kai S. Lee, Jeff Duryea, Rachana Haliyur, Radhika Aramandla, Heather Durai, Greg Poffenberger, Alexandra Martin, Amanda L. Posgai, Irina Kusmartseva, Maria L. Beery, Mingder Yang, Ke Xu, Hakmook Kang, Dale L. Greiner, Leonard D. Shultz, Jean-Philippe Cartailler, Rita Bottino, Mark A. Atkinson, Christopher V. E. Wright, Alvin C. Powers, Marcela Brissova
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Awards: G1149166549, G1154828164, G1805704937, G2079217183, G3079667663, G3724144588, Vanderbilt Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center, G4320917349, G4849004728, G507535313, G5171007148, G5716684874, G5853943267, G5983767365, G6055009284, G6864439215, Diabetes Research and Training Center, G9000002043, G9000052735, G9000081609, G9000159340, G9000229981, G9000274329, Molecular and Cellular Basis for Digestive Diseases, Cancer Center Support Grant, Multi-omic genetic regulatory signatures underlying tissue complexity of diabetes in the pancreas at single-cell spatial resolution, Diabetes-Docs: Physician-Scientist Career Development Program (DiabDocs), Vanderbilt Diabetes Research Center, Integrative analysis of multi-omic signatures and cellular function in human pancreas across developmental timeline at single-cell spatial resolution
OpenAlex ID: W7166517926