Characterization of a novel congenic strain of diabetic fatty (WBN/Kob-Lepr(fa)) rat.
The WBN/Kob-Lepr(fa) rat is a new congenic strain for the fa allele of the leptin receptor gene (Lepr). Homozygous (fa/fa) WBN/Kob-Lepr(fa) rats provide a model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes with obesity. Here, we describe the characteristics of this new animal model in detail. At 7 weeks of age, both male and female obese WBN/Kob rats showed inflammatory cell infiltration of the pancreas that suggested pan-pancreatitis and an abnormal OGTT. At 3 months of age, both male and female obese WBN/Kob rats developed overt diabetes mellitus associated with severe chronic pancreatitis. In contrast, lean female WBN/Kob rats do not develop pancreatitis or diabetes. In WBN/Kob rats, this mutation might promote the onset of severe pancreatitis, leading to the rapid development of diabetes mellitus.
Akimoto
Toshio
T
Division of Laboratory Animal Science, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan.
Nakama
Kazumasa
K
Katsuta
Yasumi
Y
Zhang
Xue-Jun
XJ
Ohsuga
Masaru
M
Ishizaki
Masamichi
M
Sawai
Nobuhiko
N
Ozawa
Hitoshi
H
D000818:Animals; D020296:Animals, Congenic; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020738:Leptin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D054411:Receptors, Leptin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D020738:Leptin; D054411:Receptors, Leptin