Taken together, these results show that sustained MIST1 protein is detrimental to AP recovery and that the iMist1myc pancreas recovers from an AP episode by relying on the small percentage of acinar cells that failed to initially activate iMist1myc expression, allowing this population to re-enter a proliferative state and repopulate the organ. This evidence concerns the gene BHLHA15 and alkaline phosphatase measurement.