Metadichol-induced differentiation of pancreatic ductal cells (PANC-1) into insulin-producing cells

Abstract

Abstract Endocrine gene expression in PANC-1, a type of pancreatic cancer cell, has been studied in the context of their potential to be reprogrammed toward a normal, differentiated state. Alkaline phosphatase activity has also been shown in pluripotent stem cells to differentiate between feeder and parental cells in reprogramming experiments. Metadichol®-based cell programming holds promise as a versatile and potentially safer approach for manipulating cellular behavior without the use of viral vectors, gating, or CRISPR. This study investigated the multifold increase in the gene expression of CA9, GCG, INS MAFA, NEUROD1, NGN3, NKX2-2, PAX6: PDX1, SLC2A2, FOXO1, and SIRT1 using qRT‒PCR. These genes regulate endocrine cell development in the pancreas and are involved in insulin and glucagon secretion. Gene network analysis is presented to show how Metadichol-induced expression leads to a closed loop feedback network and biological process that would help in mitigating diabetes and other related disorders.