Molecular Biology of the Islets of Langerhans

The islets of Langerhans, the primary source of hormone production in the pancreas, have been the focus of research into the nature of diabetes for decades. In recent years, the molecular biology of this multiendocrine organ has been intensively investigated, with a corresponding increase in our understanding of the normal and pathological functioning of islet cells. Molecular Biology of the Islets of Langerhans provides a comprehensive treatment of molecular studies on the synthesis of insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. In addition, this volume presents contemporary hypotheses and explanations, at the molecular level, of the defects in islet cells that may lead to diabetes. The material presented here will be essential reading for researchers in human endocrinology and, in particular, for those working in the area of diabetes research.

Preface Hiroshi Okamoto; Introductory overview Hiroshi Okamoto; Part I. The Molecular Biology of Peptide Hormones in the Islets of Langerhans: 1. The organization and structure of insulin genes Graeme I. Bell and Susumu Seino; 2. The regulation of insulin gene expression Michael D. Walker; 3. The translational control of proinsulin synthesis by glucose Nobuyuki Itoh; 4. The structure and regulation of the glucagon gene Joel F. Habener; 5. The structure and regulation of the somatostatin gene Joel F. Habener; 6. The mosaic evolution of the pancreatic polypeptide gene Hiroshi Yamamoto, Hideto Yonekura and Koji Nata; 7. The structure and expression of genes of vasoactive intestinal peptide and related peptides Takashi Yamagami; 8. Pancreastatin: a novel pancreatic hormone Kazuhiko Tatemoto; 9. The processing of peptide precursors Thue W. Schwartz; Part II. Molecular Aspects of Diabetes Mellitus: 10. The molecular basis of experimental diabetes Hiroshi Okamoto; 11. Class II histocompatibility genes and diabetes David Owerbach; 12. The role of the insulin gene in diabetes: use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms in diagnosis Steven C. Elben and M. Alan Permutt; 13. Abnormal products of the human insulin gene Howard S. Tager; 14. A novel gene, rig, activated in insulinomas Shin Takasawa, Chiyoko Inoue, Kiyoto Shiga and Motoo Kitagawa; 16. Defects of signal transduction in a tumoral islet cell line Willy J. Malaisse; Index.

The islets of Langerhans, the primary source of hormone production in the pancreas, have been the focus of research into the nature of diabetes for decades. In recent years, the molecular biology of this multiendocrine organ has been intensively investigated, with a corresponding increase in our understanding of the normal and pathological functioning of islet cells.