Sexual dimorphism of pancreatic beta-cell degeneration in transgenic mice expressing an insulin-ras hybrid gene.

Abstract excerpt

The human H-ras oncogene induces cell degeneration and diabetes when expressed in pancreatic beta-cells in transgenic mice. The disease develops predominantly in male mice between 5-8 months of age. Most transgenic female mice do not manifest this phenotype, even at much greater ages. However, ovariectomy induces female beta-cell degeneration similar to that in the males. In contrast, castration or the presence...

Topics

• Animals
• Castration
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Estrogens
• Female
• Feminization
• Genes, ras
• Insulin
• Islets of Langerhans
• Islets of Langerhans Transplantation
• Male
• Mice