Increased islet apoptosis in Pdx1^+/– mice
J. Clin. Invest. James D. Johnson, et al. 111:1147 doi:10.1172/JCI16537 [Go to this article.]

Figure 5
Pdx1^+/– islets and cells are prone to apoptosis when cultured in low glucose concentrations. (a) Apoptosis, measured by PCR-enhanced DNA laddering, was compared in groups of five islets cultured in RPMI with 5 mM, 10 mM, and 25 mM glucose for 72 hours (n = 10 for each genotype). Islets cultured in 10 μM thapsigargin (Tg), a known inducer of islet apoptosis, were used as a positive control. Apoptotic calf-thymus DNA served as an additional reference control, independent of our cultures. DNA-ladder bands were quantified by densitometry and pooled as described in Methods. (b) A representative gel is shown. (c) The average percentage of apoptotic cells measured in dispersed islet cells cultured overnight in 5 mM glucose, measured by cell uptake of a specific dye (Methods). Cells were counted manually in phenol red–free RPMI. Shown are pooled results from three coverslips of islets dispersed from three mice of each genotype. Asterisks denote significant differences.