Method for producing pancreatic β cells

Abstract

A problem addressed by the present invention is to provide a method for producing pancreatic β cells from endothermal cells that have been induced to differentiate from pluripotent stem cells, wherein the method allows the production of pancreatic β cells of high quality, and to provide pancreatic progenitor (PP) cells, pancreatic endocrine precursor (EP) cells, and pancreatic β cells produced by the above-mentioned method. The present invention provides a method for producing pancreatic β cells that includes culturing primitive gut tube (PGT) cells, which have been induced to differentiate from pluripotent stem cells, in the presence of a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, thereby producing posterior foregut (PFG) cells; next culturing the cells in the presence of retinoic acid or an analog thereof, thereby producing pancreatic progenitor (PP) cells; next culturing the cells in the presence of a Notch signaling inhibitor and a ROCK signaling inhibitor, thereby producing pancreatic endocrine precursor (EP) cells; and next culturing the cells in the presence of an insulin receptor signaling activator, transferrin, and selenous acid, thereby producing pancreatic β cells.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.