β-Cell Neogenesis From the Pancreatic Ductal Epithelium Revealed Dynamically by Long-term Intravital Imaging.

Article highlights: The adult pancreas' capacity to regenerate endocrine cells through ductal neogenesis has been disputed based on some pulse-chase lineage-tracing designs; however, no model described thus far has enabled the real-time study of regeneration in vivo. To facilitate long-term intravital imaging of pancreatic remodeling, we designed a novel system where pancreatic slices are transplanted into the anterior chamber of the eye of recipient mice. Using a transgenic mouse strain that enables the tracing of insulin-producing cells, we demonstrate that they arise dynamically from the ductal epithelium. Complementary work with human pancreatic slices suggests conservation of these mechanisms across species.