title: Thymus transplantation and disease prevention in the diabetes-prone Bio-Breeding rat.
abstract: Bio-Breeding rat T lymphocytes proliferate poorly in response to alloantigen. Transplantation of Bio-Breeding rats with fetal thymus tissue from diabetes resistant rats leads to an improvement in the T cell proliferative response, but only if the thymus contains bone marrow-derived, radiation-resistant thymic antigen presenting cells of the diabetes-resistant phenotype. The current study provides evidence that thymus transplantation leading to the restoration of Bio-Breeding T cell proliferative function can also significantly reduce the incidence of insulitis and prevent the development of diabetes. It appears that a defect in the bone marrow-derived thymic APC population contributes to an abnormal maturation of Bio-Breeding T lymphocytes which in turn predisposes animals to insulitis and diabetic disease.
authors.affiliation: Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bellgrau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000528:radiation effects; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011828:Radiation Chimera; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB / Q000276:immunology*; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000528:radiation effects; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000637:transplantation*