title: Cytokine gene expression in pancreatic islet-infiltrating leukocytes of BB rats: expression of Th1 cytokines correlates with beta-cell destructive insulitis and IDDM.
abstract: Cytokines produced by islet-infiltrating mononuclear leukocytes may be involved in islet beta-cell destruction and IDDM. To determine which cytokine(s) might be involved in islet beta-cell destruction, we used a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay to compare levels of cytokine mRNA expression in mononuclear leukocytes freshly isolated from islets of four groups of BB rats aged 60-75 days: diabetes-prone (DP) rats, DP rats protected from diabetes by injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) at age 25 days, acutely diabetic rats, and diabetes-resistant (DR) rats. We found that islet mononuclear leukocyte levels of gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) mRNA were significantly higher in DP and diabetic rats than in DR rats, whereas CFA-treated DP rats had similar IFN-gamma mRNA levels to DR rats. Also, interleukin (IL)-2 mRNA levels tended to be higher in islet leukocytes from DP and diabetic rats than from DR rats. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-4, and IL-10 mRNA levels were not significantly different in islet leukocytes from the four groups of rats. These findings suggest that production of T-helper 1 (Th1)-type cytokines, IFN-gamma and IL-2, by islet-infiltrating cells in BB rats is associated with beta-cell destruction and IDDM development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabinovitch
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Suarez-Pinzon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Sheikh
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sorensen
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Power
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017931:DNA Primers; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant / Q000494:pharmacology; D015870:Gene Expression; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D017931:DNA Primers; D007376:Interleukin-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant