title: Low interleukin-2 receptor levels in serum of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes.
abstract: Interleukin-2 receptors are released in the circulation in response to antigenic ro mitogenic stimulation of T-lymphocytes. Abnormal serum interleukin-2 receptor levels have been found in young children with type 1 diabetes and "prediabetes." We measured interleukin-2 receptor levels in 17 patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, 21 patients with long-standing type 1 diabetes, 19 patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes, 19 islet-cell antibody positive nondiabetic polyendocrine patients, 12 islet-cell antibody-positive first-degree relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes and compared the results to age- and sex-matched normal controls. We found significantly lower interleukin-2 receptor levels in patients with newly diagnosed and long-standing type 1 diabetes compared to normal controls (87 +/- 11 and 93 +/- 11 vs. 142 +/- 25 and 132 +/- 40 U/ml, P < 0.001 and P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in interleukin-2 receptor levels between prediabetic groups and normal controls or patients with long-standing type 1 or type 2 diabetes. There was no correlation between glycosylated hemoglobin, blood glucose levels, and interleukin-2 receptor in the groups with long-standing type 1 or type 2 diabetes. We conclude that patients with type 1 diabetes have low interleukin-2 receptor serum levels. This phenomenon is acquired close to disease onset and is unlikely to be an early markers of type 1 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, London Hospital Medical College, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonifacio
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bingley
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reinwein
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Bottazzo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000276:immunology; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2