No evidence for TCR V beta repertoire changes influencing disease protection in E-transgenic NOD mice.
In order to study whether positive selection of T cells plays any role in the MHC-dependent protection from diabetes in the non-obese-diabetic (NOD) mouse, the T cell V beta repertoire has been studied in NOD mice and in NOD mice either transgenic for the wildtype MHC class II E alpha gene, or for delta Y, a promotor-mutagenized E alpha gene with a restricted tissue expression. The E alpha transgenic line is protected from both insulitis and diabetes. The delta Y transgenic line is neither protected from insulitis nor from diabetes, although it can perform both positive and negative E-mediated selection in the thymus. The V beta repertoire was studied in the pancreatic lymph nodes as these drain the area which is the target for the autoimmune attack. We see no evidence for E alpha TCR V beta repertoire differing from both nontransgenic NOD mice and delta Y mice despite its striking difference in susceptibility to autoimmunity. We conclude that none of the differences in the TCR V beta repertoire of E alpha-transgenic NOD mice hitherto observed are likely to explain the protective effect of E molecule expression in NOD mice.
Spetz
A L
AL
Department of Immunology, Arrhenius Laboratories For Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden.
Brenden
N
N
Pilström
B
B
Böhme
J
J
D000818:Animals; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta