Hnf1a mutation in insulin producing beta-cells affect cell function and identity in young and old mice

Purpose: Hnf1a is an important regulator of pancreas development. Mutation in this gene in humans lead to Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young 3. Previous studies have shown that Hnf1a is important in function of insulin producing cells. However, they have not payed attention to islet cell identity, which we have focused on. Methods: Male WT mice or mice carrying either a single (htz) or both (hmz) floxed alles of the Hnf1a gene specifically in insulin producing beta-cells controlled by RIP-cre were maintainted in normal housing condition and glyceamia were monitored twice a week. Islet cells were isolated from 6 or 40 weeks old mice of each group and mRNA were extracted before shipping to Qiagen for analysis. Results: Mice carrying the floxed Hnf1a in beta-cells were mildly hyperglyceamic with alterations in expression of important cell identiy genes, potentially more sever with age.