PANIC-ATTAC: a mouse model for inducible and reversible beta-cell ablation

Islet transplantations have been performed clinically, but their practical applications are limited. An extensive effort has been made toward the identification of pancreatic beta-cell stem cells that has yielded many insights to date, yet targeted reconstitution of beta-cell mass remains elusive. Here, we present a mouse model for inducible and reversible ablation of pancreatic beta-cells named the PANIC-ATTAC (pancreatic islet beta-cell apoptosis through targeted activation of caspase 8) mouse.

We efficiently induce beta-cell death through apoptosis and concomitant hyperglycemia by administration of a chemical dimerizer to the transgenic mice. In contrast to animals administered streptozotocin, the diabetes phenotype and beta-cell loss are fully reversible in the PANIC-ATTAC mice, and we find significant beta-cell recovery with normalization of glucose levels after 2 months.

The rate of recovery can be enhanced by various pharmacological interventions with agents acting on the glucagon-like peptide 1 axis and agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma. During recovery, we find an increased population of GLUT2(+)/insulin(-) cells in the islets of PANIC-ATTAC mice, which may represent a novel pool of potential beta-cell precursors.

The PANIC-ATTAC mouse may be used as an animal model of inducible and reversible beta-cell ablation and therefore has applications in many areas of diabetes research that include identification of beta-cell precursors, evaluation of glucotoxicity effects in diabetes, and examination of pharmacological interventions.