A conserved bacterial protein induces pancreatic beta cell expansion during zebrafish development

https://elifesciences.org/articles/20145

Pauline Narvas
 

What is this paper about?

• Demonstrates that certain gut bacteria (and a protein that they secrete) are necessary for the pancreas to populate itself with a robust number of beta cells during development.

• Protein = BefA

• BefA = Beta cell development

• Potentially used to help treat patients with diabetes that are characterised by low / non functional beta cells in the pancreas

Main findings:

Bacterial interactions with host organisms often involve secreted molecules 

• Using a zebrafish animal model: 

1️⃣  zebrafish that were conventionally reared (CV)
         2️⃣  zebrafish reared in a microbe-free environment (GF)

• Found that microbe-free environment expressed ⬇️  beta cell, ⬇️ insulin thus less efficient at processing glucose (i.e. diabetes)

• Exposure to bacteria (Aeromonas) restored beta cell population
• Thought to release protein, BeFA that helps with this restoration