Case Report: Preservation of Reduced Numbers of Insulin-Positive Cells in Sulfonylurea-Unresponsive KCNJ11-related Diabetes

Context: The most common genetic cause of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus is activating mutations in KCNJ11, which can usually be treated using oral sulfonylureas (SU) instead of insulin injections, although some mutations are SU unresponsive. Here, we provide the first report of the pancreatic islet endocrine cell composition and area in a patient with an SU-unresponsive KCNJ11 mutation (p.G334D), in comparison to age-matched controls. Case Description: Pancreatic autopsy tissue sections from a 2-year female child diagnosed with KCNJ11-related diabetes at 4 days of age and 13 age-matched controls were stained with insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide and Ki67 antibodies to determine islet endocrine cell composition and area. Beta-cell ultrastructure was assessed by electron microscopic (EM) analysis. The patient’s pancreas (sampling from head to tail) revealed insulin-positive cells in all regions. The pancreatic beta-cell (insulin) area was significantly reduced compared to contr...