title: Interleukin-2-dependent control of disease development in spontaneously diabetic BB rats.
abstract: Long-term treatment with recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) of diabetes-prone BB rats had contrasting effects in two different BB rat sublines. Diabetes development was enhanced in the subline with a low intrinsic diabetes risk and suppressed in the subline with a high diabetes risk. IL-2 treatment started between 35 and 42 days of age and lasted for 3 months. In subline 1, diabetes incidence increased from 23% to 53% (P less than 0.01), in subline 2 it decreased from 73% to 32% (P less than 0.01). The two sublines differed in serum levels of factors controlling IL-2 synthesis and activity. Mean IL-2 inhibitory activity was higher in subline 2 (between 140% and 290% of levels in subline 1, P less than 0.01). Conversely, mean concentrations of thymosin alpha 1 and beta 4 were higher in subline 1 (between 140% and 200% of levels in subline 2, P less than 0.01). Thus the two sublines differ in their response to exogenous IL-2 and also in serum levels of mediators affecting availability of IL-2. We conclude that an internal network of hormonal factors, including IL-2, contributes to the control of diabetes development in the BB rat.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Research Institute, University of Düsseldorf, FRG.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zielasek
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burkart
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Naylor
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kiesel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kolb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins