Diabetes mellitus is the collective name for a group of diseases associated with hyperglycemia (high levels of blood glucose) caused by defects in insulin p- duction, insulin action, or both. About 6. 2% of the US population (17 million people) have diabetes mellitus. It is the leading cause of kidney failure, bli- ness, and amputations. It is also a major risk factor for heart diseases, stroke, and birth defects. Diabetes Mellitus: Methods and Protocols provides a state-of-the-art account of the experimental methodology for studying the molecular defects leading to diabetes mellitus, both at the molecular and biochemical levels. The chapters cover a wide range of topics written by experts in their respective fields and are organized in two sections: Insulin Production and Insulin Action. The detailed experimental protocols presented, including the notes of interest, provide a very useful tool for basic researchers and clinicians for investigating and treating this disease. Each chapter starts with an introduction to a specific technique and explains its application in the field of diabetes research. Following the list of materials, a detailed description of the technique is presented in the methods section in a way that enables the successful execution of the protocol. The ¿Notes¿ section at the end discusses the pitfalls of the technique and alternative approaches. I am grateful to the numerous scientists who have contributed to this volume by writing both highly detailed and understandable chapters.

Insulin Production.- Isolation of Islets of Langerhans from Rodent Pancreas.- Purification of Rat Pancreatic ?-Cells by Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting.- Assessment of Insulin Secretion in the Mouse.- Detection of Insulin Production by Immunohistochemistry.- Quantification of the Level of Insulin Gene Expression.- Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Using Isolated Islets of Langerhans.- Adenoviral Gene Transfer into ?-Cell Lines.- Utilization of NOD Mice in the Study of Type 1 Diabetes.- Insulin Action.- of DNA into 3T3-L1 Adipocytes by Electroporation.- Analysis of Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Differentiated 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.- Fractionation Analysis of the Subcellular Distribution of GLUT-4 in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.- Visualization and Quantitation of Integral Membrane Proteins Using a Plasma Membrane Sheet Assay.- Assaying Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Insulin Receptor and Insulin Receptor Substrates.- Measuring Insulin-Stimulated Phosphatidyl-Inositol 3-Kinase Activity.- Assaying AKT/Protein Kinase B Activity.- Measurements of Cellular Phosphoinositide Levels in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.- Measurement of Glycogen Synthesis and Glycogen Synthase Activity in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.- Measurement of Contraction-Stimulated GLUT-4 Translocation in Isolated Skeletal Muscle.- Single Embryo Measurement of Basal-and Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake.- Immunohistologic Staining of Muscle and Embryos to Detect Insulin-Stimulated Translocation of Glucose Transporters.