Non-tolerance and differential susceptibility to diabetes in transgenic mice expressing major histocompatibility class II genes on pancreatic beta cells.
In insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus aberrant expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens might induce autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Here we demonstrate that already the expression of single MHC class II chains (E alpha k and E beta b) is sufficient to cause diabetes without affecting beta cell morphology and cell numbers. Our transgenes interfere at least in two points of insulin production leading to a severely diabetic phenotype. In one case E beta b expression led to a 10-30-fold decrease of mouse insulin mRNA. In another case E alpha k expression reduced insulin secretion to background levels. In addition, we also found a patchy distribution of both insulin and E alpha k expression, indicating heterogeneity of the beta cell population, without the concomitant development of diabetes. Although the transgenic E alpha k E beta b MHC class II molecules were expressed on the surface of pancreatic beta cells, the transgenic mice did not prove to be tolerant for I-E antigen. Autoimmune reactions remained absent showing that aberrant MHC class II expression on pancreatic beta cells alone is not sufficient for the development of autoimmune diabetes in mice.
Götz
J
J
Max-Planck-Institut für Immunbiologie, Freiburg, FRG.
Eibel
H
H
Köhler
G
G
D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015870:Gene Expression; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000276:immunology*; D010957:Plasmids
D001786:Blood Glucose; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D007328:Insulin