The purpose of this project was to correlate the time of onset of pancreatic a-cell apoptosis with the onset of diabetes in the BioBreeding Diabetes Prone (BB/DP) rat model to provide an initial determination of whether apoptosis is a primary or secondary event in the disease onset. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to assay the appearance of Annexin-V apoptotic protein marker and the appearance of DNA fragmentation (via TUNEL assays). Due to time constraints, confirmation of beta-cell apoptosis was not possible in this study; future research, however, should conclusively prove the role of beta-cell apoptosis in diabetes onset.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Lidstone, Erich A.

Contributors

• Bortell, Rita

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042505-141611

Advisor

• Adams, David S.

Year

• 2005

Sponsor

• Rita Bortell, PhD, UMASS Medical School

Date created

• 2005-04-25

Location

• Worcester

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biochemistry

Rights statement

• In Copyright

License

• All rights reserved