RETRACTED: Betatrophin: A Hormone that Controls Pancreatic β Cell Proliferation (Retracted article. See vol. 168, pg. 326, 2017)

Replenishing insulin-producing pancreatic beta cell mass will benefit both type I and type II diabetics. In adults, pancreatic beta cells are generated primarily by self-duplication. We report on a mouse model of insulin resistance that induces dramatic pancreatic beta cell proliferation and beta cell mass expansion. Using this model, we identify a hormone, betatrophin, that is primarily expressed in liver and fat. Expression of betatrophin correlates with beta cell proliferation in other mouse models of insulin resistance and during gestation. Transient expression of betatrophin in mouse liver significantly and specifically promotes pancreatic beta cell proliferation, expands beta cell mass, and improves glucose tolerance. Thus, betatrophin treatment could augment or replace insulin injections by increasing the number of endogenous insulin-producing cells in diabetics.