Role of the Transcription Factor MAFA in the Maintenance of Pancreatic β-Cells

N/ACitations
Citations of this article
26Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Pancreatic β-cells are specialized to properly regulate blood glucose. Maintenance of the mature β-cell phenotype is critical for glucose metabolism, and β-cell failure results in diabetes mellitus. Recent studies provide strong evidence that the mature phenotype of β-cells is maintained by several transcription factors. These factors are also required for β-cell differentiation from endocrine precursors or maturation from immature β-cells during pancreatic development. Because the reduction or loss of these factors leads to β-cell failure and diabetes, inducing the upregulation or inhibiting downregulation of these transcription factors would be beneficial for studies in both diabetes and stem cell biology. Here, we discuss one such factor, i.e., the transcription factor MAFA. MAFA is a basic leucine zipper family transcription factor that can activate the expression of insulin in β-cells with PDX1 and NEUROD1. MAFA is indeed indispensable for the maintenance of not only insulin expression but also function of adult β-cells. With loss of MAFA in type 2 diabetes, β-cells cannot maintain their mature phenotype and are dedifferentiated. In this review, we first briefly summarize the functional roles of MAFA in β-cells and then mainly focus on the molecular mechanism of cell fate conversion regulated by MAFA.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Nishimura, W., Iwasa, H., & Tumurkhuu, M. (2022, May 1). Role of the Transcription Factor MAFA in the Maintenance of Pancreatic β-Cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23094478

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free