[HTML][HTML] Targeted expression of placental lactogen in the beta cells of transgenic mice results in beta cell proliferation, islet mass augmentation, and hypoglycemia

RC Vasavada, A Garcia-Ocaņa, WS Zawalich… - Journal of Biological …, 2000 - ASBMB
The factors that regulate pancreatic beta cell proliferation are not well defined. In order to
explore the role of murine placental lactogen (PL)-I (mPL-I) in islet mass regulationin vivo,
we developed transgenic mice in which mPL-I is targeted to the beta cell using the rat insulin
II promoter. Rat insulin II-mPL-I mice displayed both fasting and postprandial hypoglycemia
(71 and 105 mg/dl, respectively) as compared with normal mice (92 and 129 mg/dl; p<
0.00005 for both). Plasma insulin concentrations were inappropriately elevated, and insulin …