title: Effects of incubation of islet cells with transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) on their susceptibility to diabetic lymphocyte mediated destruction in the rat, in vitro.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine whether pre-incubation of islet cells with transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) can inhibit their destruction by spleen cells from acutely diabetic BB/Wor rats. It was previously reported that the lysis of islet cells by spleen cells from diabetic BB/Wor rats can be significantly inhibited by TGF-B. The inhibition of spleen cell mediated lysis of islet cells was found to be greater when the effector lymphocytes were pre-treated with TGF-beta. The current study was designed to determine whether the lysis of islet cells by spleen cells from diabetic BB/Wor rats can be reduced if the islets are pre-treated with TGF-beta. The results revealed that pre-incubation of islets with TGF-beta significantly reduced their susceptibility to lysis by diabetic spleen cells. This protection was still demonstrable when, after incubation of the islets in TGF-beta for almost 2 weeks, the TGF-beta was removed 3 days prior to the assay. These data establish that TGF-beta can reduce the susceptibility of islet cells to autoimmune destruction and, in conjunction with its previously demonstrated direct inhibitory effects on diabetic spleen cells, suggest that it may be useful in preventing the disease in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester 01655.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Koevary
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta