The insulin resistance produced by the recessive db mutation has led to more severe diabetes in C57BL/KsJ mice relative to that in C57BL/6J mice, suggesting genetic differences between the two strains affecting insulin production or insulin action. To assess these parameters blood glucose, serum insulin, pancreatic insulin, and proinsulin mRNA were measured in both normal and diabetic (db/db) KsJ and 6J strains. The mice were compared at 5 weeks of age, prior to the development of insulin lack known to occur with age in KsJ db/db mice. As a further provocation to insulin production, another group of the normal and db/db mice were given dexamethasone for 4 days. In normal mice there were no strain differences in blood glucose, serum insulin, pancreatic insulin, or proinsulin mRNA. Dexamethasone, presumably by augmenting insulin resistance, induced increases in serum insulin and proinsulin mRNA to the same extent in KsJ and 6J mice. In db/db mice, while blood glucose, serum insulin, and proinsulin mRNA were considerably higher than in normal mice, there were no strain differences observed. After dexamethasone the db/db mice exhibited strain differences which included higher blood glucose and higher serum insulin levels in KsJ mice. These findings were compatible with greater insulin resistance in KsJ than in 6J db/db mice. While dexamethasone treatment increased serum insulin in KsJ db/db mice, there was no augmentation of proinsulin mRNA in either strain, suggesting a limit to the insulin synthesis. Analysis of serum insulin/glucose and proinsulin mRNA/glucose ratios demonstrated a dexamethasone-induced increase in serum insulin/glucose in normal and diabetic mice of both strains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)