Diabetes is a serious, costly, and major health problem worldwide. Whereas diabetes could be alleviated by medication, this disease could not be fully cured at the present time due to the lack of effective therapeutic treatment for β-cell loss and/or dysfunction. Increased β-cell mass or volume could be achieved via differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells or pluripotent stem cells or through β-cell renewal, including proliferation, redifferentiation, and transdifferentiation. Data cumulated over the past several years suggest that increased β-cell dedifferentiation plays a crucial role in the progression of diabetes, shedding new light on potential targets for β-cell replacement therapy. In this review, we summarize current views on β-cell dedifferentiation, redifferentiation, and transdifferentiation. We also discuss potential mechanisms regulating these key processes to maintain β-cell homeostasis. Understanding pancreatic β-cell differentiation and dedifferentiation could be provide important information on developing effective strategies to cure diabetes.

糖尿病是世界范围内严重，昂贵且主要的健康问题。尽管可以通过药物缓解糖尿病，但是由于缺乏针对β细胞丢失和/或功能障碍的有效治疗方法，目前尚不能完全治愈该疾病。通过分化胚胎干（ES）细胞或多能干细胞或通过更新包括增殖，再分化和转分化的β细胞，可以增加β细胞的质量或体积。过去几年积累的数据表明，增加的β细胞去分化作用在糖尿病的发展中起着至关重要的作用，为β细胞替代疗法的潜在靶点提供了新的认识。在这篇综述中，我们总结了有关β细胞去分化，再分化和转分化的最新观点。我们还讨论了调节这些关键过程以维持β细胞稳态的潜在机制。了解胰腺β细胞的分化和去分化可能为开发有效的治疗糖尿病的策略提供重要信息。