Pancreatic islet cell type–specific transcriptomic changes during pregnancy and postpartum
Jin-Yong Chung,
Yongjie Ma,
Dingguo Zhang,
Hayden H. Bickerton,
Eric Stokes,
Sweta B. Patel,
Hubert M. Tse,
Joseph Feduska,
Rob S. Welner,
Ronadip R. Banerjee
Affiliations
Jin-Yong Chung
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Yongjie Ma
Department of Pharmacology, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Dingguo Zhang
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Hayden H. Bickerton
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Eric Stokes
Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Sweta B. Patel
Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Hubert M. Tse
Department of Microbiology, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Joseph Feduska
Department of Microbiology, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Rob S. Welner
Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Ronadip R. Banerjee
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Pancreatic β-cell mass expands during pregnancy and regresses in the postpartum period in conjunction with dynamic metabolic demands on maternal glucose homeostasis. To understand transcriptional changes driving these adaptations in β-cells and other islet cell types, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on islets from virgin, late gestation, and early postpartum mice. We identified transcriptional signatures unique to gestation and the postpartum in β-cells, including induction of the AP-1 transcription factor subunits and other genes involved in the immediate-early response (IEGs). In addition, we found pregnancy and postpartum-induced changes differed within each endocrine cell type, and in endothelial cells and antigen-presenting cells within islets. Together, our data reveal insights into cell type–specific transcriptional changes responsible for adaptations by islet cells to pregnancy and their resolution postpartum.
