title: Loss of RT6 message and most circulating T cells after thymectomy of diabetes prone BB rats.
abstract: T cells expressing the RT6 surface alloantigen perform important immunoregulatory functions in the rat. Diabetes prone (DP) BB rats are deficient in circulating RT6+ T cells and develop spontaneous autoimmune diabetes mellitus. Transfusions leading to engraftment of RT6+ T cells prevent the disease. Coisogenic diabetes resistant (DR) BB rats do circulate RT6+ T cells and are free of disease. We investigated the basis for the deficiency of RT6+ T cells in the DP-BB rat and made the following observations. 1. Thymectomy causes the rapid loss of most peripheral T cells in the DP-BB rat. 2. Concomitant with the loss of T cells is the total loss of mRNA encoding RT6. 3. In contrast to the effects observed in peripheral lymphoid tissues, thymectomy does not lead to a detectable loss in RT6+ protein found in the small intestine. We conclude that the deficiency of RT6+ peripheral T cells in the DP-BB rat is due either to their short life span or to their reduced proliferative capacity following release from the thymus.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Division, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Crisá
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: McKeever
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bortell
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Handler
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mordes
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Waite
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schoenbaum
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haag
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Koch-Nolte
mesh_terms: D036002:ADP Ribose Transferases; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007519:Isoantigens; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000172:deficiency*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013934:Thymectomy
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D007519:Isoantigens; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D036002:ADP Ribose Transferases; C090163:Art2b protein, rat