[HTML][HTML] Transgenic mice overexpressing type 2 nitric-oxide synthase in pancreatic β cells develop insulin-dependent diabetes without insulitis

T Takamura, I Kato, N Kimura, T Nakazawa… - Journal of Biological …, 1998 - ASBMB
We generated transgenic mice carrying the mouse type 2 nitric-oxide synthase (NOS2)
cDNA under the control of the insulin promoter. Western and immunohistochemical analyses
revealed that NOS2 was expressed abundantly in transgenic islets but not in control islets.
When islets were isolated and cultured, high levels of nitrite were released from the
transgenic islets. In transgenic mice, the β cell mass was markedly reduced without the
infiltration of macrophages or lymphocytes, and extensive DNA strand breaks were detected …