The purpose of this study was to identify mRNA transcripts encoding tissue restricted cell surface proteins on human islet tissue that, in turn, might serve as markers for determination of healthy, transplanted and/or diseased islet cell mass. Using oligonucleotide microarrays and clinical grade human islets, we obtained the gene expression profiles of cultured normal islet tissue and compared them to profiles of islets treated with interferon alpha 2 beta, islet-depleted exocrine pancreas, pooled whole pancreas, pooled liver and pooled kidney tissue. Data set filtering and comparisons of gene expression patterns revealed a small set of genes corresponding to transmembrane or membrane associated proteins with limited tissue distributions (present in Islets of Langerhans and, often, central or peripheral nervous system tissues, but absent from exocrine pancreas, liver, kidney and other tissues) with possible utility as novel islet markers. Under the influence of IFN alpha, some of these transcripts show differential expression as confirmed by real time PCR. In addition, we found significant differential expression of two sets of transcripts expressed in islets but with broad tissue distributions, non classical MHC class I b (HLA-G and F) and MHC Class II locus (e.g. HLA-DR alpha and HLA-DQ alpha and beta).

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