The pancreas in health and in diabetes
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EDITORIAL
The pancreas in health and in diabetes Sally M. Marshall 1 Published online: 31 August 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
The first recognition of the pancreas as an organ is accredited to Herophilus of Chalcedon, often called the father of anatomy, more than 2000 years ago [1]. The functions of the organ remained a mystery until Claude Bernard’s work on pancreatic juice and digestion in the late 19th century [2]. Interest in and work on the pancreas then rapidly accelerated. Everyone in the diabetes field is aware of the description of the islets of Langerhans within the pancreas by the medical student Paul Langerhans in 1869 [3], followed by the demonstration that total pancreatectomy precipitated diabetes mellitus by von Mering and Minkowski in 1889 [4]. Although others had come close to isolating the pancreatic secretion necessary to prevent diabetes mellitus, it was Frederick Banting and Charles Best, ably aided by biochemist James Collip, in the laboratories of J. J. R. Macleod in Toronto, Canada, who eventually succeeded [5]. Details of the story of the discovery are elegantly described by Michael Bliss [6]. The complexity of the pancreas was appreciated early. Alpha and beta cells in the islets of Langerhans were distinguished by conventional histological techniques in 1907 [7], but it wasn’t until 1959 that localisation of insulin to the beta cell was confirmed [8]. Likewise, although glucagon was discovered in 1923, it was localised to the alpha cells in 1962 [9]. Since then, a whole raft of new scientific techniques have allowed detailed examination of the anatomy and function of the pancreas, the discovery of other hormones within the islets of Langerhans, and detailed study of the complex interactions between different cells within the pancreas, and between the pancreas and other organs in the body. This special issue offers insight into many of these recent advances, challenging many long-held concepts and providing clues to future important areas for work.
* Sally M. Marshall [email protected] 1
Diabetes Research Group, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Clinical Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, 4th Floor William Leech Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
Atkinson et al [10] launch the series with a review of the current evidence on human pancreatic anatomy as it pertains to endocrine and exocrine function, and the changes that occur in individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Jennings and colleagues [11] go on to discuss how alterations in important steps in the development of the mammalian pancreas may contribute to the abnormalities seen in diabetes. For example, mutations in specific transcription factors that help to shape the mammalian pancreas have been shown to result in pancreas agenesis, absence of islet formation or absence of beta cells in mice, with similar phenotypes being recapitulated in human model systems or individuals with neonatal diabetes. Post-pancreas development,
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