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Scrt1, a transcriptional regulator of β-cell proliferation identified by differential chromatin accessibility during islet maturation

Authors :
Jonathan Sobel
Claudiane Guay
Ofer Elhanani
Adriana Rodriguez-Trejo
Lisa Stoll
Véronique Menoud
Cécile Jacovetti
Michael D. Walker
Romano Regazzi
Source :
Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Nature Portfolio, 2021.

Abstract

Abstract Glucose-induced insulin secretion, a hallmark of mature β-cells, is achieved after birth and is preceded by a phase of intense proliferation. These events occurring in the neonatal period are decisive for establishing an appropriate functional β-cell mass that provides the required insulin throughout life. However, key regulators of gene expression involved in functional maturation of β-cells remain to be elucidated. Here, we addressed this issue by mapping open chromatin regions in newborn versus adult rat islets using the ATAC-seq assay. We obtained a genome-wide picture of chromatin accessible sites (~ 100,000) among which 20% were differentially accessible during maturation. An enrichment analysis of transcription factor binding sites identified a group of transcription factors that could explain these changes. Among them, Scrt1 was found to act as a transcriptional repressor and to control β-cell proliferation. Interestingly, Scrt1 expression was controlled by the transcriptional repressor RE-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) and was increased in an in vitro reprogramming system of pancreatic exocrine cells to β-like cells. Overall, this study led to the identification of several known and unforeseen key transcriptional events occurring during β-cell maturation. These findings will help defining new strategies to induce the functional maturation of surrogate insulin-producing cells.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20452322
Volume :
11
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Scientific Reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.b8ebcf5f93ea4a368630185da5395111
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88003-2