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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Aug 8.
Published in final edited form as: Autoimmun Rev. 2005 Dec 22;5(6):409–413. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2005.10.009

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

Model of liver-to-endocrine pancreas transdifferentiation. Expression of a modified form of Pdx1-Vp16 in hepatic stem (WB) cells activates multiple downstream TF genes associated with β-cell development and convert the WB cells into β-cell precursors. However, Pdx1-Vp16 failed to activate the following late-stage pancreatic transcription factors: Pax-4, Pax-6, Isl-1, and MafA, as well as the β-cell function-related genes SUR1, Kir6.2, SNAP25, and IAPP. Functional β-like cells can be achieved by: (a) culturing them under long-term high-glucose medium, (b) transplanting cells into diabetic (hyperglycemic) mice, and (c) activating Pax4 gene.