Spatial and quantitative datasets of the pancreatic β-cell mass distribution in lean and obese (ob/ob) mice

A detailed understanding of pancreatic beta-cell mass distribution is a key element to fully appreciate the pathophysiology of models of diabetes and metabolic stress. Commonly, such assessments have been performed by stereological approaches that rely on the extrapolation of two-dimensional data and provide very limited topological information. We present ex vivo optical tomographic data sets of the full beta-cell mass distribution in cohorts of obese ob/ob mice and their lean controls, together with information about individual islet beta-cell volumes, their three-dimensional coordinates and shape throughout the volume of the pancreas between 4 and 52 weeks of age. These data sets offer the currently most comprehensive public record of the beta-cell mass distribution in the mouse. As such, they may serve as a quantitative and topological reference for the planning of a variety of in vivo or ex vivo experiments including computational modelling and statistical analyses. By shedding light on intra-and inter-lobular variations in beta-cell mass distribution, they further provide a powerful tool for the planning of stereological sampling assessments. [GRAPHICS]