GENETICALLY-ENGINEERED MICE AS ANIMAL-MODELS FOR NIDDM

Genetically engineered animals carrying defined alterations in their g enome can represent invaluable tools for better understanding complex polygenic diseases such as noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NID DM) at the molecular level. The structure or expression of a number of genes potentially involved in insulin action or pancreatic beta-cell function have recently been altered in the mouse using transgenic or g ene-targeting approaches, The obtention of such mice is the first step towards the development of animal models carrying multiple gene defec ts which would be very useful in NIDDM research.