Pregnancy increases the demand for insulin by various tissues in the body, a condition that can lead to gestational diabetes. To shield against this condition, insulin-producing beta cells proliferate in a process now shown to involve the local production of serotonin in response to lactogenic hormones (pages 804–808).
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Katie Vicari
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Georgia, S., Bhushan, A. Pregnancy hormones boost beta cells via serotonin. Nat Med 16, 756–757 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0710-756
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0710-756
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