Islet β‐cells physiological difference study of old and young mice based on single‐cell transcriptomics

Aims/Introduction Body aging is a universal biological process. With aging, cells undergo a series of physiological changes. The main feature is cell proliferation decline, although the cells still have normal functions. Pancreatic β‐cells are no exception. However, the physiological senescence of β‐cells, and the resulting function and transcriptome changes have rarely attracted attention. The specific senescence phenotype of β‐cells remains unknown. Materials and Methods Pancreatic samples from three female C57BL/6 mice with aged 2.5 months (young) mice and 20 months (old) were digested to a single‐cell suspension and analyzed, with 10× Genomics single‐cell ribonucleic acid sequencing, β‐cells were determined by biosynthesis analysis, and differences between old and young mice were identified. Results A total of 47 differential genes with significant and statistical significance were screened in β‐cells (fold change >1.5, P
Transcription factors play an important role in facilitating transitions between pancreatic cells. The comprehensive datasets of aging‐related genes, transcription factors and pathways, and in almost all pancreatic cell types were provided. This study could serve as new therapies that attenuate aging and alleviate aging‐related diseases with further research.