Gene signature of the human pancreatic ε-cell

The ghrelin producing ε-cell represents the fifth endocrine cell type in human pancreatic islets. The abundance of ε-cells in adult pancreas is extremely low, which has hampered the investigation on the molecular pathways regulating the development and the function of this cell type. In this study, we explored the molecular features defining the function of pancreatic ε-cells isolated from adult non-diabetic donors using single-cell RNA sequencing technology. We focus on transcription factors, cell surface receptors and genes involved in metabolic pathways that contribute to regulation of cellular function. Furthermore, the genes that separate ε-cells from the other islet endocrine cell types are presented. This study expands prior knowledge about the genes important for the function of the ε-cell during development and provides a resource to interrogate the transcriptome of this rare human islet cell type.产生饥饿素（ghrelin）的ε细胞是人体胰岛中的第五种内分泌细胞类型。成人胰腺内ε细胞的丰度极低，这极大阻碍了针对调控该细胞类型发育与功能的分子通路的研究工作。本研究采用单细胞RNA测序（single-cell RNA sequencing）技术，对从成年非糖尿病供体中分离获取的胰腺ε细胞进行分析，以明确其功能相关的分子特征。本研究重点关注参与调控细胞功能的代谢通路相关基因、转录因子与细胞表面受体。此外，本研究还鉴定出了可将ε细胞与其他胰岛内分泌细胞类型区分开的差异基因。本研究拓展了此前关于ε细胞发育过程中功能相关基因的认知，并为探究这种罕见人类胰岛细胞类型的转录组提供了宝贵的研究资源。