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. 2018 Aug 9;13(8):e0201536. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201536

Fig 4. Lineage tracing experiments unravel the conversion of ductal cells into endocrine cells upon the sole Neurog3 misexpression.

Fig 4

(A) Taking advantage of the β-galactosidase tracer, we monitored the fate of the ductal cells ectopically expressing Neurog3. X-Gal staining reveals β-galactosidase-positive cells (previously ductal cells) within the islet of Langerhans (outlined with red lines) of Tam-treated HNFN3OE mice. (B) Quantitative RT-PCR analyses confirm the presence of β-galactosidase mRNA in the transcriptome of islets isolated from Tam-treated animals (n = 6 animals for each condition). Statistics were performed using the Mann-Whitney test (C-D) Immunohistochemical analyses combining β-galactosidase and insulin detection. While control pancreata are negative for β-galactosidase (C), their Tam-treated counterparts display cells positive for both insulin and β-galactosidase (D), indicating duct-to-endocrine cell conversion. Note that the apparent staining in the exocrine tissue is artefactual and caused by the antibody used. (E-F) Accordingly, several glucagon+ (E) or somatostatin+ (F) cells are also found labeled with the ductal cell tracer, β-galactosidase.