The beta cell in autoimmune diabetes: Many mechanisms and pathways of loss

Death of pancreatic beta cells is the final step in the pathogenesis of typ e I diabetes before it becomes clinically apparent. Applying recent basic r esearch about how cells die to rite clinical problem of diabetes is a curre nt opportunity and challenge. To date, perforin is the only factor definite ly implicated in beta-cell killing in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse mo del, although some perforin-deficient NOD mice develop diabetes. Our result s suggest that other factors that cause beta-cell death remain to be identi fied.