Figure 3. Optimal glucose concentrations were required to induce heterogeneous and optimal β-cell functionality at different developmental stages.

(A–B) Numbers of glucose-responsive β-cells (A) and their maximal Ca²⁺ responses to glucose (B) in the mantle and the core of the islets from embryos treated with 3 MPA and different concentrations of glucose. n = 4–8 embryos per condition in (A) and (B). *p<0.05, **p<0.01. (C–D) Recovery ratios of glucose-responsive β-cells (C) and their maximal Ca²⁺ responses to glucose (D) following treatment with different concentrations of exogenous glucose in the presence of 3 MPA to inhibit endogenous glucose production. The ratios are presented as the normalized numbers of glucose-responsive β-cells or the normalized maximal amplitudes of the calcium transients compared with those in the control embryos. n = 4–8 embryos per condition in (C) and (D). *p<0.05, **p<0.01; ns, not significant. See also Video 5.