Major histocompatibility complex class I molecules are required for the development of insulitis in non-obese diabetic mice.
An early step in the development of autoimmune diabetes is lymphocyte infiltration into the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, or insulitis. The infiltrate contains both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and both are required for progression to diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. It has been thought that the CD4+ lymphocytes are the initiators of the disease, the islet invaders, while CD8+ cells are the effectors, the islet destroyers. We question this interpretation because NOD mice lacking MHC class I molecules, hence CD8+ T cells, do not display even insulitis when expected.
Katz
J
J
Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire des Eucaryotes du CNRS, Strasbourg, France.
Benoist
C
C
Mathis
D
D
D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000502:physiology*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000473:pathology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I