The Non-Immune RIP-kb Mouse is a Useful Host for Islet Transplantation,as the Diabetes is Spontaneous,Mild and Predictable

Chemically-induced diabetic mice and spontaneouslydiabetic NOD mice have been valuableas recipients for experimental islet transplantation.However, their maintenance oftenrequires parenteral insulin. Diabetogenic chemicalscan be cytotoxic to the host’s immune systemand to other organs some of which areoften used as the transplant site. Procurementof diabetic cohorts in the NOD mouse is problematicdue to variability in the age of diseaseonset. We show that RIP-K^b mice, which spontaneouslydevelop non-immune diabetes due toover-expression of the H-2K^b heavy chain inbeta cells, offer many advantages as islet transplantrecipients. Diabetes is predictable with arelatively narrow range of onset (4 wk) andblood glucose levels (23.0± 4.0 mmol/l for 39males at 6 weeks of age). The diabetes is mild enough so that most diabetic mice can be maintainedto 40 weeks of age without parenteralinsulin. This consistency of diabetes avails thatoutcomes of intervention can be interpretedwith confidence.