Delineating mouse ß-cell identity during lifetime and in diabetes with a single cell atlas.

Although multiple pancreatic islet single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets have been generated, a consensus on pancreatic cell states in development, homeostasis and diabetes as well as the value of preclinical animal models is missing. Here, we present an scRNA-seq cross-condition mouse islet atlas (MIA), a curated resource for interactive exploration and computational querying. We integrate over 300,000 cells from nine scRNA-seq datasets consisting of 56 samples, varying in age, sex and diabetes models, including an autoimmune type 1 diabetes model (NOD), a glucotoxicity/lipotoxicity type 2 diabetes model (db/db) and a chemical streptozotocin ß-cell ablation model. The ß-cell landscape of MIA reveals new cell states during disease progression and cross-publication differences between previously suggested marker genes. We show that ß-cells in the streptozotocin model transcriptionally correlate with those in human type 2 diabetes and mouse db/db models, but are less similar to human type 1 diabetes and mouse NOD ß-cells. We also report pathways that are shared between ß-cells in immature, aged and diabetes models. MIA enables a comprehensive analysis of ß-cell responses to different stressors, providing a roadmap for the understanding of ß-cell plasticity, compensation and demise.

Synaptotagmin-13 orchestrates pancreatic endocrine cell egression and islet morphogenesis.

During pancreas development endocrine cells leave the ductal epithelium to form the islets of Langerhans, but the morphogenetic mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we identify the Ca2+-independent atypical Synaptotagmin-13 (Syt13) as a key regulator of endocrine cell egression and islet formation. We detect specific upregulation of the Syt13 gene and encoded protein in endocrine precursors and the respective lineage during islet formation. The Syt13 protein is localized to the apical membrane of endocrine precursors and to the front domain of egressing endocrine cells, marking a previously unidentified apical-basal to front-rear repolarization during endocrine precursor cell egression. Knockout of Syt13 impairs endocrine cell egression and skews the α-to-ß-cell ratio. Mechanistically, Syt13 is a vesicle trafficking protein, transported via the microtubule cytoskeleton, and interacts with phosphatidylinositol phospholipids for polarized localization. By internalizing a subset of plasma membrane proteins at the front domain, including α6ß4 integrins, Syt13 modulates cell-matrix adhesion and allows efficient endocrine cell egression. Altogether, these findings uncover an unexpected role for Syt13 as a morphogenetic driver of endocrinogenesis and islet formation.

Heritable changes in division speed accompany the diversification of single T cell fate.

Rapid clonal expansion of antigen-specific T cells is a fundamental feature of adaptive immune responses. It enables the outgrowth of an individual T cell into thousands of clonal descendants that diversify into short-lived effectors and long-lived memory cells. Clonal expansion is thought to be programmed upon priming of a single naive T cell and then executed by homogenously fast divisions of all of its descendants. However, the actual speed of cell divisions in such an emerging "T cell family" has never been measured with single-cell resolution. Here, we utilize continuous live-cell imaging in vitro to track the division speed and genealogical connections of all descendants derived from a single naive CD8+ T cell throughout up to ten divisions of activation-induced proliferation. This comprehensive mapping of T cell family trees identifies a short burst phase, in which division speed is homogenously fast and maintained independent of external cytokine availability or continued T cell receptor stimulation. Thereafter, however, division speed diversifies, and model-based computational analysis using a Bayesian inference framework for tree-structured data reveals a segregation into heritably fast- and slow-dividing branches. This diversification of division speed is preceded already during the burst phase by variable expression of the interleukin-2 receptor alpha chain. Later it is accompanied by selective expression of memory marker CD62L in slower dividing branches. Taken together, these data demonstrate that T cell clonal expansion is structured into subsequent burst and diversification phases, the latter of which coincides with specification of memory versus effector fate.

Vertical sleeve gastrectomy triggers fast ß-cell recovery upon overt diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of bariatric surgery in restoring ß-cell function has been described in type-2 diabetes (T2D) patients and animal models for years, whereas the mechanistic underpinnings are largely unknown. The possibility of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) to rescue far-progressed, clinically-relevant T2D and to promote ß-cell recovery has not been investigated on a single-cell level. Nevertheless, characterization of the heterogeneity and functional states of ß-cells after VSG is a fundamental step to understand mechanisms of glycaemic recovery and to ultimately develop alternative, less-invasive therapies. METHODS: We performed VSG in late-stage diabetic db/db mice and analyzed the islet transcriptome using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Immunohistochemical analyses and quantification of ß-cell area and proliferation complement our findings from scRNA-seq. RESULTS: We report that VSG was superior to calorie restriction in late-stage T2D and rapidly restored normoglycaemia in morbidly obese and overt diabetic db/db mice. Single-cell profiling of islets of Langerhans showed that VSG induced distinct, intrinsic changes in the ß-cell transcriptome, but not in that of α-, δ-, and PP-cells. VSG triggered fast ß-cell redifferentiation and functional improvement within only two weeks of intervention, which is not seen upon calorie restriction. Furthermore, VSG expanded ß-cell area by means of redifferentiation and by creating a proliferation competent ß-cell state. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our study reveals the superiority of VSG in the remission of far-progressed T2D and presents paths of ß-cell regeneration and molecular pathways underlying the glycaemic benefits of VSG.

Generation of a Novel Nkx6-1 Venus Fusion Reporter Mouse Line.

Nkx6-1 is a member of the Nkx family of homeodomain transcription factors (TFs) that regulates motor neuron development, neuron specification and pancreatic endocrine and ß-cell differentiation. To facilitate the isolation and tracking of Nkx6-1-expressing cells, we have generated a novel Nkx6-1 Venus fusion (Nkx6-1-VF) reporter allele. The Nkx6-1-VF knock-in reporter is regulated by endogenous cis-regulatory elements of Nkx6-1 and the fluorescent protein fusion does not interfere with the TF function, as homozygous mice are viable and fertile. The nuclear localization of Nkx6-1-VF protein reflects the endogenous Nkx6-1 protein distribution. During embryonic pancreas development, the reporter protein marks the pancreatic ductal progenitors and the endocrine lineage, but is absent in the exocrine compartment. As expected, the levels of Nkx6-1-VF reporter are upregulated upon ß-cell differentiation during the major wave of endocrinogenesis. In the adult islets of Langerhans, the reporter protein is exclusively found in insulin-secreting ß-cells. Importantly, the Venus reporter activities allow successful tracking of ß-cells in live-cell imaging and their specific isolation by flow sorting. In summary, the generation of the Nkx6-1-VF reporter line reflects the expression pattern and dynamics of the endogenous protein and thus provides a unique tool to study the spatio-temporal expression pattern of this TF during organ development and enables isolation and tracking of Nkx6-1-expressing cells such as pancreatic ß-cells, but also neurons and motor neurons in health and disease.

The glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) regulates body weight and food intake via CNS-GIPR signaling.

Uncertainty exists as to whether the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) should be activated or inhibited for the treatment of obesity. Gipr was recently demonstrated in hypothalamic feeding centers, but the physiological relevance of CNS Gipr remains unknown. Here we show that HFD-fed CNS-Gipr KO mice and humanized (h)GIPR knockin mice with CNS-hGIPR deletion show decreased body weight and improved glucose metabolism. In DIO mice, acute central and peripheral administration of acyl-GIP increases cFos neuronal activity in hypothalamic feeding centers, and this coincides with decreased body weight and food intake and improved glucose handling. Chronic central and peripheral administration of acyl-GIP lowers body weight and food intake in wild-type mice, but shows blunted/absent efficacy in CNS-Gipr KO mice. Also, the superior metabolic effect of GLP-1/GIP co-agonism relative to GLP-1 is extinguished in CNS-Gipr KO mice. Our data hence establish a key role of CNS Gipr for control of energy metabolism.

CD81 marks immature and dedifferentiated pancreatic ß-cells.

OBJECTIVE: Islets of Langerhans contain heterogeneous populations of insulin-producing ß-cells. Surface markers and respective antibodies for isolation, tracking, and analysis are urgently needed to study ß-cell heterogeneity and explore the mechanisms to harness the regenerative potential of immature ß-cells. METHODS: We performed single-cell mRNA profiling of early postnatal mouse islets and re-analyzed several single-cell mRNA sequencing datasets from mouse and human pancreas and islets. We used mouse primary islets, iPSC-derived endocrine cells, Min6 insulinoma, and human EndoC-ßH1 ß-cell lines and performed FAC sorting, Western blotting, and imaging to support and complement the findings from the data analyses. RESULTS: We found that all endocrine cell types expressed the cluster of differentiation 81 (CD81) during pancreas development, but the expression levels of this protein were gradually reduced in ß-cells during postnatal maturation. Single-cell gene expression profiling and high-resolution imaging revealed an immature signature of ß-cells expressing high levels of CD81 (CD81high) compared to a more mature population expressing no or low levels of this protein (CD81low/-). Analysis of ß-cells from different diabetic mouse models and in vitro ß-cell stress assays indicated an upregulation of CD81 expression levels in stressed and dedifferentiated ß-cells. Similarly, CD81 was upregulated and marked stressed human ß-cells in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: We identified CD81 as a novel surface marker that labels immature, stressed, and dedifferentiated ß-cells in the adult mouse and human islets. This novel surface marker will allow us to better study ß-cell heterogeneity in healthy subjects and diabetes progression.

ß-Cell Maturation and Identity in Health and Disease.

The exponential increase of patients with diabetes mellitus urges for novel therapeutic strategies to reduce the socioeconomic burden of this disease. The loss or dysfunction of insulin-producing ß-cells, in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes respectively, put these cells at the center of the disease initiation and progression. Therefore, major efforts have been taken to restore the ß-cell mass by cell-replacement or regeneration approaches. Implementing novel therapies requires deciphering the developmental mechanisms that generate ß-cells and determine the acquisition of their physiological phenotype. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms that coordinate the postnatal maturation of ß-cells and define their functional identity. Furthermore, we discuss different routes by which ß-cells lose their features and functionality in type 1 and 2 diabetic conditions. We then focus on potential mechanisms to restore the functionality of those ß-cell populations that have lost their functional phenotype. Finally, we discuss the recent progress and remaining challenges facing the generation of functional mature ß-cells from stem cells for cell-replacement therapy for diabetes treatment.

Comprehensive single cell mRNA profiling reveals a detailed roadmap for pancreatic endocrinogenesis.

Deciphering mechanisms of endocrine cell induction, specification and lineage allocation in vivo will provide valuable insights into how the islets of Langerhans are generated. Currently, it is ill defined how endocrine progenitors segregate into different endocrine subtypes during development. Here, we generated a novel neurogenin 3 (Ngn3)-Venus fusion (NVF) reporter mouse line, that closely mirrors the transient endogenous Ngn3 protein expression. To define an in vivo roadmap of endocrinogenesis, we performed single cell RNA sequencing of 36,351 pancreatic epithelial and NVF+ cells during secondary transition. This allowed Ngn3low endocrine progenitors, Ngn3high endocrine precursors, Fev+ endocrine lineage and hormone+ endocrine subtypes to be distinguished and time-resolved, and molecular programs during the step-wise lineage restriction steps to be delineated. Strikingly, we identified 58 novel signature genes that show the same transient expression dynamics as Ngn3 in the 7260 profiled Ngn3-expressing cells. The differential expression of these genes in endocrine precursors associated with their cell-fate allocation towards distinct endocrine cell types. Thus, the generation of an accurately regulated NVF reporter allowed us to temporally resolve endocrine lineage development to provide a fine-grained single cell molecular profile of endocrinogenesis in vivo.

Conditional islet hypovascularisation does not preclude beta cell expansion during pregnancy in mice.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Endothelial-endocrine cell interactions and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A signalling are deemed essential for maternal islet vascularisation, glucose control and beta cell expansion during mouse pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess whether pregnancy-associated beta cell expansion was affected under conditions of islet hypovascularisation. METHODS: Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT1), a VEGF-A decoy receptor, was conditionally overexpressed in maternal mouse beta cells from 1.5 to 14.5 days post coitum. Islet vascularisation, glycaemic control, beta cell proliferation, individual beta cell size and total beta cell volume were assessed in both pregnant mice and non-pregnant littermates. RESULTS: Conditional overexpression of sFLT1 in beta cells resulted in islet hypovascularisation and glucose intolerance in both pregnant and non-pregnant mice. In contrast to non-pregnant littermates, glucose intolerance in pregnant mice was transient. sFLT1 overexpression did not affect pregnancy-associated changes in beta cell proliferation, individual beta cell size or total beta cell volume. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Reduced intra-islet VEGF-A signalling results in maternal islet hypovascularisation and impaired glycaemic control but does not preclude beta cell expansion during mouse pregnancy.