The data demonstrated that the level of immunoreactive product for cleaved caspase 3 (Fig. 2Ga,b), the degree of expression of mRNA encoding caspase 3 (Fig. 2Gc) and, finally, the activity of this executioner enzyme of the apoptotic program (Fig. 2Gd) were all dramatically increased as a function of diabetes. Here, CASP3 is linked to diabetes mellitus.