PIWI-interacting RNAs as novel regulators of pancreatic beta-cell function [GK, wistar samples]

There is mounting evidence indicating that piRNAs are also present in somatic cells where they may accomplish additional regulatory tasks. The aim of this study was to identify the piRNAs expressed in pancreatic islets and to determine whether they are involved in the control of beta-cell activities. piRNA profiling of rat pancreatic islets was performed by microarray. We detected about 18’000 piRNAs in rat pancreatic islets, many of which were differentially expressed throughout islet of Goto-Kakizaki rats, a well-established model of Type 2 diabetes.越来越多的证据显示，Piwi互作RNA（piRNA）亦可存在于体细胞内，并可在其中执行额外的调控功能。本研究旨在鉴定胰腺胰岛中表达的piRNA，并明确其是否参与β细胞活性的调控。本研究通过微阵列（microarray）技术完成了大鼠胰腺胰岛的piRNA表达谱分析。我们在大鼠胰腺胰岛中检测到约18000种piRNA，其中许多在作为公认2型糖尿病模型的Goto-Kakizaki大鼠的胰岛中呈差异表达。