|
The
vertebrate pancreas has two glands: the exocrine pancreas secrets
and transports digestive enzymes to the duodenum for
food digestion and the endocrine islets of Langerhans secret hormones
to regulate a variety of physiological procedures. Diseases related
to the pancreas include pancreatic cancer, whose diagnosis is dismal,
and diabetes mellitus, which currently afflicts over 16 million individuals
in the United States alone. Pancreas-related studies
not only shed
light on the basic mechanisms underlying organogenesis, but also have
an impact on health issues as well.
Despite the increased
efforts in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying
pancreas
development and maintenance, little is known about the regulatory
interactions that lead to the pancreatic cell differentiation and
regeneration.
The Gu lab investigates pancreas development and islet renewal using
molecular genetic approaches. Lab members combine microarray
and bioinformatics
to identify candidate genes that are expressed at different stages
during islet development. Then, gene knockout and ectopic expression
are used to evaluate the function of selected genes in mouse and
chicken embryos. The Gu Lab has generated several knockout mouse
lines and their
phenotypes are currently being characterized, with one
mutant displaying postnatal lethality phenotype.
For
more information about Dr. Gu visit his Vanderbilt
Faculty Page
|