New inbred strain of Long-Evans Tokushima lean rats with IDDM without lymphopenia.
Spontaneously diabetic rats with remarkable polyuria, polyphagia, and polydipsia were discovered in 1983 in an outbred colony of Long-Evans rats purchased from Charles River Canada in 1982. They have since been maintained at the Tokushima Research Institute (Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Tokushima, Japan). A strain of rats (Long-Evans Tokushima Lean [LETL]) with diabetes was bred from these rats. The characteristic features of the disease in LETL rats are 1) sudden onset of polyuria, polyphagia, hyperglycemia, and weight loss; 2) no sex differences in the rate of onset or severity; 3) lymphocyte infiltration into islets followed by destruction of beta-cells and disappearance of lymphocytes at the onset of diabetes; 4) no significant T lymphopenia; 5) lymphocyte infiltration into the salivary glands and lacrimal glands; and 6) at least two recessive genes involved in the pathogenesis of insulitis, one of which is closely linked with RT1u. These characteristics closely resemble those of human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Results suggest that the LETL rat is a useful animal model for analysis of genetic and immunologic factors relating to the pathogenesis of human IDDM.
Tokushima Research Institute, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, Japan.
K
K
Kawano
T
T
Hirashima
S
S
Mori
Y
Y
Saitoh
M
M
Kurosumi
T
T
Natori
D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015994:Incidence; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007659:Ketones / Q000652:urine; D008231:Lymphopenia / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000235:genetics*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D007659:Ketones; D004247:DNA