Transfection of Human Pancreatic Islets With an Anti-Apoptotic Gene (bcl-2) Protects β-Cells From Cytokine-Induced Destruction

摘要

Apoptosis has been identified as a mechanism of pan- creatic islet β-cell death in autoimmune diabetes. Proinflammatory cytokines are candidate mediators of β-cell death in autoimmune diabetes, and these cytokines can induce β-cells death by apoptosis. In the present study, we examined whether transfection of human islet β-cells with an anti-apoptotic gene, bcl-2, can prevent cytokine-induced β-cell destruction. Human islet β-cells were transfected by a replication- Defective herpes simplex virus (HSV) amplicon vector That expressed the bcl-2 gene (HSVbcl-2) and, as a con- Trol, the same HSV vector that expressed a β-galac- Tosidase reporter gene (HSVlac).