Transcriptome Analysis of the Transdifferentiation of canine BMSCs into Insulin Producing Cells

Abstract

Background Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are a potential resource for the clinical therapy of certain diseases. Canine, as a companion animal, living in the same space with human, is an ideal new model for human diseases research. Because of the high prevalence of diabetes, our study in the alternative source of islets from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells appears to be important.Result In this study, we completed the transdifferentiation process and achieved the transcriptome profiling of five samples with two biological duplicates, namely, “BMSCs”, “islets”, “stage1”, “stage2” and “stage3”. A total of 11,530 differentially expressed transcripts were revealed in the profiling data. The enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed several signaling pathways that are essential for regulating proliferation and transdifferentiation, including focal adhesion, ECM–receptor interaction, tight junction, protein digestion and absorption, and the Rap1 signaling pathway. Meanwhile, the obtained protein–protein interaction network and functional identification indicating involvement of three genes, somatostatin receptor 2, ribosomal protein S6 kinase A6, and vasoactive intestinal peptide, could act as a foundation for further research.Conclusion In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey of the transdifferentiation of canine BMSCs into insulin-producing cells according with the timeline using next-generation sequencing technology. The three key genes we pick out may regulate decisive genes during the development of pancreas.