The NOD Mouse: Recessive Diabetogenic Gene in the Major Histocompatibility Complex

Examination of the histocompatibility region of the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse with antibodies against class II glycoproteins (products of immune response genes of the major histocompatibility complex I-A and I-E), hybrid T-cell clones, and mixed-lymphocyte cultures and analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms indicate that the NOD mouse has a unique class II major histocompatibility complex with no expression of surface I-E, no messenger RNA for I-E alpha, and an I-A not recognized by any monoclonal antibodies or hybrid T-cell clones studied. In crosses of NOD mice with control C3H mice, the development of diabetes was dependent on homozygosity for the NOD mouse's unique major histocompatibility region.