INSULIN EXPRESSING HUMAN PANCREATIC ISLET CELL LINE CAPABLE OF REVERSIBLY PROLIFERATING AND USE THEREOF

摘要

Reversibly immortalized human islet cell lines containing an hTERT gene and anSV40T gene each located between a pair of LoxP sequences, characterized bybeing capable of producing insulin and the expression of insulin beingenhanced after removing the hTERT gene and the SV40T gene, in particular, NAKT-13 (having been deposited with International Patent Organism Depositary,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Address:Tsukuba Central 6, Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8566 JAPAN, Depositiondate: 04 September, 2003, Deposition No.: FERM BP-08461) or passage cell linesthereof; human islet cells obtained by removing the hTERT gene and the SV40Tgene from the reversibly immortalized human islet cell lines or passage celllines thereof as described above; and use of these cells. By using thereversibly immortalized human islet cell lines as described above, insulin-producing cells can be easily and surely obtained in a number enough to meetdemand.