Type-I (insulin-dependent) and type-II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in BC1[(NODxMus spretus)F1xNOD] mice

The nonobese diabetic (NOD), nonobese nondiabetic (NON), cataract Shionogi (CTS), ICR-L-Ishibe (ILI) and ICR-I-Ishibe (III) mouse strains have been used in our experiments. The NOD, NON, CTS and ILI mice were originally derived from outbred Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice (Figure 1). One mouse with cataracts and small eyes was found in outbred ICR mice and an inbred cataract Shionogi (CTS) strain characterized by cataracts and microphthalmia was established (Ohtori et al, 1968). Since cataracts are often observed in diabetic patients, two sublines were separated at the sixth generation during the process of establishing the CTS strain according to fasting blood glucose levels; one with euglycemia (fasting blood glucose: approximately 100 mg/dl) and the other with slight hyperglycemia (fasting blood glucose: approximately 150 mg/dl). One female mouse in the former line spontaneously developed diabetes at the 20th generation and the inbred NOD strain was established by selective breeding for diabetes. From the latter line the inbred non-obese nondiabetic (NON) strain was established. More details on the genealogy is described in Ikegami et al, 1988. Inbred ILI and III mice were established directly from outbred ICR mice.