We previously described a novel alternatively spliced
mRNA transcript of the
betacellulin (BTC) gene. This splice
isoform, termed BTC-delta4, lacks the C-loop of the
epidermal growth factor motif and the transmembrane domain as a result of exon 4 'skipping'. In this study, we expressed BTC-delta4 recombinantly to explore its
biological function. When BTC-delta4 was expressed in COS-7 cells, it was secreted largely into the culture medium, in contrast to BTC. Unlike BTC, highly purified recombinant BTC-delta4 produced in Escherichia coli failed to bind or induce
tyrosine phosphorylation of either ErbB1 or ErbB4, nor did it antagonize the binding of BTC to these receptors. Consistent with this, BTC-delta4 failed to stimulate
DNA synthesis in Balb/c 3T3 and INS-1 cells. However, BTC-delta4 induced differentiation of pancreatic beta-cells; BTC-delta4 converted AR42J cells to
insulin-producing cells. When recombinant BTC-delta4 was administered to
streptozotocin-treated neonatal rats, it reduced the plasma
glucose concentration and improved
glucose tolerance. Importantly, BTC-delta4 significantly increased the
insulin content, the beta-cell mass, and the numbers of islet-like cell clusters and PDX-1-positive ductal cells. Thus, BTC-delta4 is a secreted
protein that stimulates differentiation of beta-cells in vitro and in vivo in an apparent ErbB1- and ErbB4-independent manner. The mechanism by which BTC-delta4 exerts this action on beta-cells remains to be defined but presumably involves an, as yet, unidentified unique receptor.