1. To investigate whether similar alterations in the programming of ?-cell development also occur in human foetuses born with IUGR and characterise the cellular mechanisms involved: differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis.
2. To examine the role of glucocorticoids on human pancreas development by studying the expression of the receptor.
Two workpackages (WP6 and 7) aimed at favour the extrapolation of the results obtained in animal models to human. As mentioned in last year's report, a new strategy has been designed to verify if glucocorticoids and their receptor may be involved in human pancreas development as we have reported in rats (WP6). The studies over the past year were to gather a collection of human foetal pancreatic specimens from very early (9 weeks) until late stages of pregnancy. We showed an expression of the glucocorticoid receptor at very early stages of development, in several cell types, the expression following that of the transcription factor in the beta cell. This is consistent with a possible role for the glucocorticoid during human pancreas development