Calcineurin/NFATc Signaling: Role in Postnatal β Cell Development and Diabetes Mellitus

Pancreatic islets are aggregates of endocrine cells required for blood glucose control and diabetes prevention after birth. In this issue of Developmental Cell , Goodyer et al. (2012) reveal a function of calcineurin, a calcium-activated serine/threonine phosphatase, in postnatal NFATc-regulated expression of genes that help β cells to form insulin-containing vesicles and enter the cell cycle.