Insulin-specific T cells are a predominant component of islet infiltrates in pre-diabetic NOD mice.
Numerous investigation have demonstrated that T cells are involved in destruction of beta cells in the NOD mouse, a widely studied model of type I diabetes. In this report we describe a series of islet-specific T cell lines established from islet-infiltrating lymphocytes obtained from individual pre-diabetic NOD mice as well as a large panel of clones derived from these lines. Proliferation assays indicated that these nominally islet-specific lines responded vigorously to porcine insulin. Furthermore, of 40 islet-specific clones derived from lines established from 12-week-old mice, 22 (55%) responded to insulin. A similar analysis of islet-specific clones established from 7-week-old mice indicated that 2 of 14 (14%) were insulin specific. These findings demonstrate that insulin-specific T cells can comprise a major portion of the spontaneously arising T cell response to islets in NOD mice.
Wegmann
D R
DR
Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado, Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.
Norbury-Glaser
M
M
Daniel
D
D
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002999:Clone Cells; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007328:Insulin / Q000276:immunology*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D010641:Phenotype; D011236:Prediabetic State / Q000276:immunology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D007328:Insulin; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta