Although islet transplantation has been remarkably improved by the Edmonton protocol, the
insulin independence rate after islet transplantation from one donor pancreas has remained
low. The c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNKs) are classic stress-activated protein kinases;
many cellular stresses have been shown to stimulate JNK activation. JNK in the pancreas is
activated during brain death, pancreas procurement, and organ preservation, and its activity
is progressively increased during the isolation procedure. Moreover, JNK activity in the …