Department of Cellular Biochemistry and Human Genetics, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. yuvald@ekmd.huji.ac.il
Using a unique injury model of the pancreas in mouse, Xu et al. (2008) now reveal the involvement of neurogenin3, a marker for embryonic-type endocrine progenitor cells, in the formation of new insulin-producing beta cells. These neurogenin3-positive facultative endocrine progenitor cells in the adult pancreas may be of potential value for treating diabetes.