Studies performed in humans and animal models have implicated the environment in the etiology of type 1 diabetes (T1D), but the nature and timing of the interactions triggering β cell autoimmunity are poorly understood. Virus infections have been postulated to be involved in disease mechanisms, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. It is exceedingly difficult to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between viral infection and diabetes in humans. Thus, we have used the BioBreeding Diabetes-Resistant (BBDR) and the LEW1.WR1 rat models of virus-induced disease to elucidate how virus infection leads to T1D. The immunophenotype of these strains is normal, and spontaneous diabetes does not occur in a specific pathogen-free environment. However, β cell inflammation and diabetes with many similarities to the human disease are induced by infection with the parvovirus Kilham rat virus (KRV). KRV-induced diabetes in the BBDR and LEW1.WR1 rat models is limited to young animals and can be induced in both male and female rats. Thus, these animals provide a powerful experimental tool to identify mechanisms underlying virus-induced T1D development.
CITATION STYLE
Needell, J. C., & Zipris, D. (2020). Rat Models of Virus-Induced Type 1 Diabetes. In Methods in Molecular Biology (Vol. 2128, pp. 107–114). Humana Press Inc. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0385-7_8
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