SIX2 and SIX3 coordinately regulate functional maturity and fate of human pancreatic β cells

The physiological functions of many vital tissues and organs continue to mature after birth, but the genetic mechanisms governing this postnatal maturation remain an unsolved mystery. Human pancreatic beta cells produce and secrete insulin in response to physiological cues like glucose, and these hallmark functions improve in the years after birth. This coincides with expression of the transcription factors SIX2 and SIX3, whose functions in native human beta cells remain unknown. Here, we show that shRNA-mediated SIX2 or SIX3 suppression in human pancreatic adult islets impairs insulin secretion. However, transcriptome studies revealed that SIX2 and SIX3 regulate distinct targets. Loss of SIX2 markedly impaired expression of genes governing beta-cell insulin processing and output, glucose sensing, and electrophysiology, while SIX3 loss led to inappropriate expression of genes normally expressed in fetal beta cells, adult a cells, and other non-beta cells. Chromatin accessibility studies identified genes directly regulated by SIX2. Moreover, beta cells from diabetic humans with impaired insulin secretion also had reduced SIX2 transcript levels. Revealing how SIX2 and SIX3 govern functional maturation and maintain developmental fate in native human beta cells should advance beta-cell replacement and other therapeutic strategies for diabetes.

Automated summary

This study found that SIX2 and SIX3 play important roles in the functional maturation of human pancreatic beta cells, particularly in insulin secretion. SIX2 primarily regulates genes governing insulin processing and output, while SIX3 affects genes normally expressed in fetal cells and non-beta cells.