Diabetes research: a new model for studying beta cell function

The beta cells of the pancreas synthesize, store and secrete insulin, which controls the level of glucose in the blood

The research team first inserted something called SNAP-tag into the porcine insulin gene, allowing the protein to be labeled with different fluorescent dyes for a long period of time

"In general, the ultrastructure of the β cells of SOFIA pigs is comparable to that of pigs that do not express insulin-snap.

The researchers were able to prove that the continuous addition of two fluorescent SNAP-tag ligands with different wavelengths in the body enabled them to distinguish different insulin secretory granule pools in SOFIA pig beta cells based on their colors

The authors of this study believe that the successful generation and characterization of new experimental models is an important step in overcoming the current limitations that hinder β-cell research

DOI

10.

Article title

Sequential in vivo labeling of secretory granule pools in INS-SNAP transgenic pigs