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Susan Bonner-Weir

Senior Investigator
Harvard
Section of Islet Transplantation and Cell Biology

Joslin Diabetes Center, One Joslin Place Research Division
Boston, MA 02215
USA

p. 617-732-2581
f. 617-732-2650
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Susan Bonner-Weir - Investigator Profile

Our research has focused on the endocrine pancreas (the islets of Langerhans) in three areas: 1) the architecture of the islet and its implications for function; 2) the in vivo regulation of b-cell mass; and 3) the factors involved in islet growth and differentiation. With a series of rodent models we have provided compelling evidence that adult pancreatic b-cell mass increases in response to a metabolic need and have been examining the mechanisms of this postnatal pancreatic growth. In the adult rat after partial pancreatectomy, massive regeneration occurs with both enhanced replication of preexisting b cells and ductal expansion and subsequent differentiation into endocrine, exocrine or mature duct cells. Our hypothesis has been that in the adult pancreas duct cells act as a facultative stem cells, such that with replication the mature duct cell regresses to a less differentiated cell (perhaps equivalent to a embryonic pancreatic duct cell) and regains its potential to differentiate into islet, acinar or mature duct cell, and that this phenotypic differentiation is directed by external signals or morphogens. Using molecular biological and immunochemical techniques we are defining the cells that are involved and the factors that are carefully orchestrated in vivo to stimulate the growth and differentiation of the b-cells. Additionally we have been successful in vitro cultivation of human islets from pancreatic ductal cells and are characterizing the cells that give rise to the new islets.

Scientific Interests/Keywords

Islet Growth

Publications

Publication Citation
12727989 Yoon KH, Ko SH, Cho JH, Lee JM, Ahn YB, Song KH, Yoo SJ, Kang MI, Cha BY, Lee KW, Son HY, Kang SK, Kim HS, Lee IK, Bonner-Weir S Selective beta-cell loss and alpha-cell expansion in patients with type 2 (2003) J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88: 2300-8 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:32)
12694544 Omer A, Keegan M, Czismadia E, De Vos P, Van Rooijen N, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Macrophage depletion improves survival of porcine neonatal pancreatic cell (2003) Xenotransplantation 10: 240-51 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:30)
12115867 Bonner-Weir S, Sharma A Pancreatic stem cells. (2002) J Pathol 197: 519-26 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:37)
12031967 Laybutt DR, Weir GC, Kaneto H, Lebet J, Palmiter RD, Sharma A, Bonner-Weir S Overexpression of c-Myc in beta-cells of transgenic mice causes (2002) Diabetes 51: 1793-804 (Added 2005-04-13 13:01:03)
12028980 Wolpert HA, Faradji RN, Bonner-Weir S, Lipes MA Metabolic decompensation in pump users due to lispro insulin (2002) BMJ 324: 1253 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:35)
12011047 Kaneto H, Xu G, Fujii N, Kim S, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Involvement of c-Jun N-terminal kinase in oxidative stress-mediated (2002) J Biol Chem 277: 30010-8 (Added 2005-04-13 13:01:06)
11812749 Laybutt DR, Kaneto H, Hasenkamp W, Grey S, Jonas JC, Sgroi DC, Groff A, Ferran C, Bonner-Weir S, Sharma A, Weir GC Increased expression of antioxidant and antiapoptotic genes in islets that (2002) Diabetes 51: 413-23 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:25)
11799123 Kaneto H, Sharma A, Suzuma K, Laybutt DR, Xu G, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Induction of c-Myc expression suppresses insulin gene transcription by (2002) J Biol Chem 277: 12998-3006 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:27)
11797699 Papas KK, Colton CK, Gounarides JS, Roos ES, Jarema MA, Shapiro MJ, Cheng LL, Cline GW, Shulman GI, Wu H, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC NMR spectroscopy in beta cell engineering and islet transplantation. (2001) Ann N Y Acad Sci 944: 96-119 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:17)
11782487 Laybutt DR, Sharma A, Sgroi DC, Gaudet J, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Genetic regulation of metabolic pathways in beta-cells disrupted by (2002) J Biol Chem 277: 10912-21 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:22)
11714718 Kaneto H, Suzuma K, Sharma A, Bonner-Weir S, King GL, Weir GC Involvement of protein kinase C beta 2 in c-myc induction by high glucose (2002) J Biol Chem 277: 3680-5 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:20)
11699059 Orban T, Landaker E, Ruan Z, Cordeman TP, Weitgasser R, Bonner-Weir S, Jackson RA, Patti ME High-fructose diet preserves beta-cell mass and prevents diabetes in (2001) Metabolism 50: 1369-76 (Added 2005-04-13 12:54:15)
11574403 Moore A, Bonner-Weir S, Weissleder R Noninvasive in vivo measurement of beta-cell mass in mouse model of diabetes. (2001) Diabetes 50: 2231-6 (Added 2011-09-29 06:51:28.252741)
11435959 Tatarkiewicz K, Garcia M, Lopez-Avalos M, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Porcine neonatal pancreatic cell clusters in tissue culture: benefits of (2001) Transplantation 71: 1518-26 (Added 2005-04-13 13:07:56)
11430820 Scheuner D, Song B, McEwen E, Liu C, Laybutt R, Gillespie P, Saunders T, Bonner-Weir S, Kaufman RJ Translational control is required for the unfolded protein response and in (2001) Mol Cell 7: 1165-76 (Added 2005-04-13 13:07:46)
11390407 Kaneto H, Xu G, Song KH, Suzuma K, Bonner-Weir S, Sharma A, Weir GC Activation of the hexosamine pathway leads to deterioration of pancreatic (2001) J Biol Chem 276: 31099-104 (Added 2005-04-13 13:07:36)
11374418 Lopez-Avalos MD, Tatarkiewicz K, Sharma A, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Enhanced maturation of porcine neonatal pancreatic cell clusters with (2001) Transplantation 71: 1154-62 (Added 2005-04-13 13:07:34)
11349728 Vasir B, Jonas JC, Steil GM, Hollister-Lock J, Hasenkamp W, Sharma A, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Gene expression of VEGF and its receptors Flk-1/KDR and Flt-1 in cultured (2001) Transplantation 71: 924-35 (Added 2005-04-13 13:01:08)
11316779 Trivedi N, Hollister-Lock J, Lopez-Avalos MD, O'Neil JJ, Keegan M, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Increase in beta-cell mass in transplanted porcine neonatal pancreatic (2001) Endocrinology 142: 2115-22 (Added 2005-04-13 12:52:41)
11287362 Steil GM, Trivedi N, Jonas JC, Hasenkamp WM, Sharma A, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Adaptation of beta-cell mass to substrate oversupply: enhanced function (2001) Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 280: E788-96 (Added 2005-04-13 13:07:44)
11213060 Trivedi N, Keegan M, Steil GM, Hollister-Lock J, Hasenkamp WM, Colton CK, Bonner-Weir S, Weir GC Islets in alginate macrobeads reverse diabetes despite minimal acute (2001) Transplantation 71: 203-11 (Added 2005-04-13 13:07:54)
11158595 Dutta S, Gannon M, Peers B, Wright C, Bonner-Weir S, Montminy M PDX:PBX complexes are required for normal proliferation of pancreatic (2001) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98: 1065-70 (Added 2005-04-13 13:07:41)