NIT-1, a pancreatic beta-cell line established from a transgenic NOD/Lt mouse

• Published in: Diabetes (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 40; no. 7; pp. 842 - 849
• Main Authors: Hamaguchi, K., Gaskins, H. R., Leiter, E. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Diabetes Association 01-07-1991
• ISSN: 0012-1797; 1939-327X; 0012-1797
• DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.40.7.842

NIT-1, a pancreatic beta-cell line established from a transgenic NOD/Lt mouse.
K Hamaguchi ,
H R Gaskins and
E H Leiter
Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609.
Abstract
NOD/Lt mice harboring a hybrid rat insulin-promoter/SV40 large T-antigen gene spontaneously develop beta-cell adenomas. NIT-1
is a pancreatic beta-cell line established from one of these transgenic mice. Immunocytochemical staining of passage 18 cells
showed most contained insulin, with less than 5% containing glucagon, and none containing pancreatic polypeptide or somatostatin.
Glucagon content radioimmunoassayed in cell extracts was only 0.27% of the insulin content. Two-hour insulin secretion at
16.5 mM glucose was 638 ng/10(6) cells (41% of intracellular content) compared to only 1.3 ng glucagon (32% of intracellular
content). Stimulated insulin secretion was consistently observed in response to 11 and 16.5 mM glucose between passages 11
and 19. At passage 19, both theophylline and tolbutamide stimulated insulin secretion at 5.5 mM glucose. Northern-blot analysis
confirmed high levels of insulin mRNA but only trace glucagon mRNA and undetectable somatostatin mRNA. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-induced
MHC class I RNA expression was correlated with markedly increased antigen expression at the cell surface. Similarly, a MHC-linked
"occult" class I-like antigen detected by Cr release assay only after exposure of standard NOD/Lt islet cells to IFN-gamma
was strongly induced by IFN-gamma in NIT-1 cells. Cell surface MHC class II antigen was not constitutively expressed on NIT-1
cells and could not be detected after IFN-gamma incubation, despite demonstration of IFN-gamma-induced Aa, Ab, and Li invariant-chain
RNA transcripts. Similarly IFN-gamma induction of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (Icam-1) transcripts was not accompanied
by demonstrable cell surface expression of ICAM-1 antigen.