Stem Cell-Derived β Cells: A Versatile Research Platform to Interrogate the Genetic Basis of β Cell Dysfunction

Abstract

Pancreatic β cell dysfunction is a central component of diabetes progression. During the last decades, the genetic basis of several monogenic forms of diabetes has been recognized. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have also facilitated the identification of common genetic variants associated with an increased risk of diabetes. These studies highlight the importance of impaired β cell function in all forms of diabetes. However, how most of these risk variants confer disease risk, remains unanswered. Understanding the specific contribution of genetic variants and the precise role of their molecular effectors is the next step toward developing treatments that target β cell dysfunction in the era of personalized medicine. Protocols that allow derivation of β cells from pluripotent stem cells, represent a powerful research tool that allows modeling of human development and versatile experimental designs that can be used to shed some light on diabetes pathophysiology. This article reviews different models to study the genetic basis of β cell dysfunction, focusing on the recent advances made possible by stem cell applications in the field of diabetes research.

Keywords: GWAS; SNP; T1D; T2D; beta cell; diabetes; genetic variants; hESC; iPSC; stem cell.

Figure 1

Comparison of model systems used in β cell research. Some of the advantages and limitations are summarized. Original illustrations except for vectorized laboratory mouse (CC BY-SA 3.0 license, David Liao).

Figure 2

Summary of some of the genes involved in monogenic diabetes, and a small sample of risk loci identified for polygenic diabetes (>50 for T1D, >500 for T2D).

Figure 3

Schematic representation of genetic variants caused by mutations in coding/non-coding regions of the genome. Adapted DNA diagram (CC BY-SA 4.0 license, Smedib).