Alpha cells are glucagon-producing endocrine cells which reside in the Islets of Langerhans. In mice, the alpha cells are the first to mature and are detectable, as early as E9.5, in the dorsal pancreatic bud and one day later in the ventral pancreatic bud.
The a-cells are more common in the tail portion of the pancreas than in the head portion.
In the pancreas, the differentiation of endocrine cells is non-synchronous and lasts from the secondary transition phase (which is the primary stage of endocrine cell differentiation) to the postnatal phase.
EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT & STEM CELL COMPENDIUM
