@article {Asplunde202201376, author = {Olof Asplund and Petter Storm and Vikash Chandra and Gad Hatem and Emilia Ottosson-Laakso and Dina Mansour-Aly and Ulrika Krus and Hazem Ibrahim and Emma Ahlqvist and Tiinamaija Tuomi and Erik Renstr{\"o}m and Olle Korsgren and Nils Wierup and Mark Ibberson and Michele Solimena and Piero Marchetti and Claes Wollheim and Isabella Artner and Hindrik Mulder and Ola Hansson and Timo Otonkoski and Leif Groop and Rashmi B Prasad}, title = {Islet Gene View{\textemdash}a tool to facilitate islet research}, volume = {5}, number = {12}, elocation-id = {e202201376}, year = {2022}, doi = {10.26508/lsa.202201376}, publisher = {Life Science Alliance}, abstract = {Characterization of gene expression in pancreatic islets and its alteration in type 2 diabetes (T2D) are vital in understanding islet function and T2D pathogenesis. We leveraged RNA sequencing and genome-wide genotyping in islets from 188 donors to create the Islet Gene View (IGW) platform to make this information easily accessible to the scientific community. Expression data were related to islet phenotypes, diabetes status, other islet-expressed genes, islet hormone-encoding genes and for expression in insulin target tissues. The IGW web application produces output graphs for a particular gene of interest. In IGW, 284 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in T2D donor islets compared with controls. Forty percent of DEGs showed cell-type enrichment and a large proportion significantly co-expressed with islet hormone-encoding genes; glucagon (GCG, 56\%), amylin (IAPP, 52\%), insulin (INS, 44\%), and somatostatin (SST, 24\%). Inhibition of two DEGs, UNC5D and SERPINE2, impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and impacted cell survival in a human β-cell model. The exploratory use of IGW could help designing more comprehensive functional follow-up studies and serve to identify therapeutic targets in T2D.}, URL = {https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/5/12/e202201376}, eprint = {https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/5/12/e202201376.full.pdf}, journal = {Life Science Alliance} }