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ISLET BIOLOGY

Glucagon receptor antagonists might stimulate β-cell expansion

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 18, pages 659–660 (2022)Cite this article

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In a recent issue of Cell Reports, Xi et al. reported on their studies of an anti-glucagon receptor antibody in several mouse models of insulin-deficient diabetes mellitus, in which they show substantial increase in β-cell mass from enhanced replication and transdifferentiation of glucagon-expressing α-cells to insulin-expressing β-cells.

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Fig. 1: Glucagon receptor antagonists can lead to regeneration of β-cells in insulin-deficient mice, but their effect in humans is unclear.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Maria F. Rubin de Celis

  2. Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Susan Bonner-Weir

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  1. Maria F. Rubin de Celis
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  2. Susan Bonner-Weir
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Correspondence to Susan Bonner-Weir.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Rubin de Celis, M.F., Bonner-Weir, S. Glucagon receptor antagonists might stimulate β-cell expansion. Nat Rev Endocrinol 18, 659–660 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-022-00735-x

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