Stimulation of pancreatic beta-cell proliferation

摘要

This invention provides a polypeptide, TMEM27, and secreted forms thereof, nucleic acids and constructs encoding the same, and cells comprising the same. The TMEM27 protein is expressed in hormone positive cells at early stages of pancreas development and pancreatic beta-cells in the mature pancreas, whose expression promotes pancreatic beta-cell replication and increased islet mass. Applications of the protein in diagnostics and therapeutics are described.