Abstract:

 Objective To detect the expression of glucose transperter 2 (Glut2) when human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs) were transformed into islet precursor cells. Methods hUMSCs were isolated, cultivated, identified and differentiated. The cells and supernatant were collected on the 7th,14th and 21st day of the induction. Immunocytochemistry，immunofluorescence, ELISA, Western blotting and Realtime PCR were used to detect the expression of cell-associated proteins and genes. Results 1.The expression of pancreas duodenum homeobox-1 (PDX-1) was positive; 2.Positive expressions of Ngn3 and insulin were detected by immunofluorescence; 3.The expression of Glut2 protein was measured by Western blotting. The Glut2 protein gradually increased in the induction process, and reached the peak value on the 14th day, compared with the normal group (P<0.01). Glut2 gene increased from the 7th day（P<0.05）in Real-time PCR. Conclusion After induction, hUMSCs turn into pancreatic precursor cells and have functional features of islet B cell initially for expressing Glut2 protein, which can cause insulin secretion.

Key words: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell, Islet precursor cell, Glucose transporters 2, Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence, Real-time PCR