ABSTRACT
Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus is caused by autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing βcells of the pancreas in genetically susceptible individuals. Understanding of the genetics and autoimmune mechanisms of the disease has been greatly facilitated by an animal model, the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse, which spontaneously develops Type 1 diabetes. The origins and characteristics of this strain and a closely related strain, the nonobese nondiabetic (NON) mouse, are summarized in this chapter.
