Modulation of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in NOD mice by autoreactive T cells.
Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the islet of Langerhans. Islet autoantigen-specific T cells play a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Susceptibility loci for autoimmune diabetes such as the major histocompatability complex (MHC) may function by producing different repertoires of T cells, which could gain autoreactivity following activation, resulting in autoimmune disease. However, all the T cells infiltrating the islets are not destructive. A number of autoreactive T-cell lines capable of preventing development of IDDM have been isolated. Most of these cell lines are reactive to self I-Ag7. Presence of these regulatory T cells along with the effector cells in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice suggests that IDDM may be a result of the imbalance of these two types of cells. Modulation of the immune response by inducing autoreactive regulatory T cells could be a way of treating autoimmune disorders.
Chaturvedi
P
P
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Qin
H Y
HY
Chou
H
H
Singh
B
B
D000818:Animals; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*