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Published on: November 29, 2024
What the BTBR/J mouse has taught us about diabetes and diabetic complications
Mark P Keller1, Kelly L Hudkins2, Anath Shalev3
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Abstract:
Human and mouse genetics have delivered numerous diabetogenic loci, but it is mainly through the use of animal models that the pathophysiological basis for their contribution to diabetes has been investigated. More than 20 years ago, we serendipidously identified a mouse strain that could serve as a model of obesity-prone type 2 diabetes, the BTBR (Black and Tan Brachyury) mouse (BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J, 2018) carrying the Lep mutation. We went on to discover that the BTBR-Lep mouse is an excellent model of diabetic nephropathy and is now widely used by nephrologists in academia and the pharmaceutical industry. In this review, we describe the motivation for developing this animal model, the many genes identified and the insights about diabetes and diabetes complications derived from >100 studies conducted in this remarkable animal model.
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