Aldh1b1 regulates pancreas maturation in the mouse embryo affecting islet functionality in the adult

Aldehyde dehydrogenase activity is increasingly associated with stem and progenitor cells but its functional significance remains uncertain. We identified Aldh1b1 as a marker for pancreas progenitor cells. Aldh1b1 is exclusively expressed in the emerging pancreatic buds and later in progenitors cells of the developing pancreatic epithelium. Its expression persists in rare progenitor like cells in the adult pancreas and therefore Aldh1b1 expression is associated with pancreas stem and progenitor cells during development and in the adult. To address the role of Aldh1b1 we generated a lacZ knock-in mouse strain. De…