Islet expression of interferon-alpha precedes diabetes in both the BB rat and streptozotocin-treated mice.
The mechanism(s) leading to beta cell dysfunction in type I diabetes has not been defined. We have investigated whether islet expression of IFN alpha could be a cause of the lesions that are hallmarks of type I diabetes. Streptozotocin induces the expression of interferon-alpha by pancreatic islets prior to the diabetes induced by streptozotocin. Increased IFN alpha, induced by poly I/C or expressed from a transgene will exacerbate the diabetogenic effects of streptozotocin. In another rodent model of type I diabetes (the BB rat), islet expression of IFN alpha precedes lymphocytic infiltration and diabetes. As in the streptozotocin model, in the BB rats poly I/C will induce islet expression of IFN alpha and accelerate the onset of diabetes. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that islet expression of IFN alpha participates in causing type I diabetes.
Huang
X
X
Department of Endocrine Research, Genentech, Incorporated, South San Francisco, California 94080.
Hultgren
B
B
Dybdal
N
N
Stewart
T A
TA
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB; D013997:Time Factors
D016898:Interferon-alpha