Figure 1. Expression time points for genes important to endocrine pancreas development and diabetes pathology.

Circles represent discrete developmental stages, with derivation efficiency estimates also shown ⁵⁹. Genes discussed in this article are listed according to the developmental stage at which they are first expressed and any subsequent stages where they perform important biological functions or are crucial for cell identity ( ^#except WFS1 which is expressed at all stages; however, the diabetes observed in patients with Wolfram syndrome is believed to result from selective beta-cell loss via apoptosis ⁷⁶). CEL is expressed in acinar cells, which differentiate from multipotent pancreatic progenitor cells and subsequently exocrine progenitor cells (not depicted in the figure). hESC, human embryonic stem cell; hiPSC, human induced pluripotent stem cell.