The pancreatic alpha cell line, Alpha TC1 clone 6 (ATCC CRL-2934), is a useful model in diabetes research for studying many aspects of islet biology, including glucagon biosynthesis and cytokine sensitivity. It was cloned from the alpha TC1 cell line, which was derived from a human pancreatic adenoma created in transgenic mice expressing the SV40 large T antigen oncogene, under the control of the rat preproglucagon promoter. In contrast to the parental cell line, which produces both glucagon and insulin, alpha TC1 clone 6 cells are terminally differentiated and produce only glucagon. ATCC, 800-638-6597, www.atcc.org