TUNEL staining (Fig. 7H) revealed that over-expression of BMP7 inhibited apoptosis in NP tissues of STZ-induced T1DM rats, while simultaneous over-expression of BMP7 and activation of NLRP3 induced the apoptosis in NP tissues of STZ-induced T1DM rats. The gene discussed is NLRP3; the disease is type 1 diabetes mellitus.