Female biases in islet cell gene expression, alpha cell number, and glucagon are present early in postnatal life

Male-female differences in islet cell gene expression, islet cell composition, and circulating glucagon are reproducible in young NOD and C57BL/6J mice before diabetes-like phenotypes.

• Why it matters: Sex-linked variation in glucose homeostasis may reflect early differences within islet cells, but the postnatal timing of these effects is unclear.
• What they did: Young male and female mice from NOD and C57BL/6J strains were characterized for glucose homeostasis and islet biology, including islet cell gene expression/composition and circulating glucagon levels.
• The result: The study found sex biases in islet biology and glucagon that appear early in postnatal life and are consistent across both diabetes-relevant mouse models.

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