Characterization of liver-pancreas crosstalk following β-cell loss reveals a role for the molybdenum cofactor in β-cell regeneration

Regeneration of insulin-producing β-cells is an alternative avenue to manage diabetes, and it is crucial to unravel this process in vivo during physiological responses to the lack of β-cells. Here, we aimed to characterize how hepatocytes can contribute to β-cell regeneration in a zebrafish model of β-cell ablation. Using lineage-tracing, we show that hepatocytes do not directly convert into β-cells even under extreme β-cell ablation conditions. A transcriptomics analysis of isolated hepatocytes following β-cell ablation displayed altered lipid- and glucose-related processes. Based on the transcriptomics, we performed a genetic screen that uncovers a potential role for the molybdenum cofactor (Moco) biosynthetic pathway in β-cell regeneration and glucose metabolism in zebrafish. Consistently, Mocs2 haploinsufficiency in mice indicated dysregulated glucose metabolism and liver function. Together, our study sheds light on the liver-pancreas crosstalk and suggests that the molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis pathway should be further studied in relation to glucose metabolism and diabetes.