title: Evidence for superantigen involvement in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus aetiology.
abstract: Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease whose onset is believed to be triggered by unknown environmental factors acting on a predisposing genetic background. Islet-infiltrating T (IIT) cells from two IDDM patients, who had died at the onset of the disease from brain swelling as a complication of ketoacidosis, were analysed. The results provided evidence for the involvement of a pancreatic islet cell membrane-bound superantigen as a diabetes aetiopathogenetic factor. There was a selective expansion of a T-cell receptor (TCR) variable segment of the beta-chain (V beta 7) in these IIT cells in association with unselected V alpha-chain segments; extensive junctional diversity of the TCR V beta 7 chains; and evidence of positive selection, after exposure to diabetic islet cell membrane preparations, of V beta 7+ T-cell clones among peripheral blood lymphocytes from non-diabetic individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Rangos Research Center, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weidmann
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trucco
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Rudert
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Behboo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ricordi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rodriquez-Rilo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Finegold
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trucco
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001345:Autoradiography; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002999:Clone Cells; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D001324:Autoantigens; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens