title: Cloned T cells from a recent onset IDDM patient reactive with insulin B-chain.
abstract: Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) results from selective autoimmune destruction of insulin producing beta-cells. T-cell reactivity and autoantibodies to several islet proteins such as insulin, GAD and IA-2 are associated with IDDM in mice and men. In NOD mice, the majority of T cells from insulitis specifically recognize the insulin B-chain peptide amino acid 9-22, in contrast to the periphery where the precursor frequency is much lower. It is important to note that these cells are diabetogenic. Surprisingly, the same insulin B-chain region contains epitopes recognized by protective T cells. In fact, autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice could be prevented by prophylactic treatment with this immunodominant T-cell epitope. In humans, however, no immunodominant regions of insulin have yet been defined. We have isolated and characterized a human insulin-specific T-cell clone that was derived from peripheral blood of a newly diagnosed IDDM patient. This patient displayed weakly positive primary T-cell responses to insulin. The peptide recognized by the clone was mapped to the insulin B chain (B:11-27). Functionally, the human insulin-specific CD4+ T cells displayed a Th1/0 like cytokine profile and were restricted by HLA-DR. The previously proposed alternative superantigen-like binding of insulin-B chain peptide outside of the peptide binding groove of HLA-DR could not be confirmed, since T-cell recognition was inhibited in competition experiments of insulin-B chain peptide with HLA-DR16 binding influenza peptide HA307-319. Our results indicate that human clonal T cells isolated from a recent onset IDDM patient recognize an epitope overlapping with the insulin B-chain region that is immunodominant and potentially therapeutic in NOD mice. This observation may be useful in studying the role of insulin-specific T cells in IDDM, and may eventually help to establish peptide-based immunotherapies in IDDM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohematology, University Hospital Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Schloot
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Willemen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duinkerken
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Roep
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D016207:Cytokines; D000939:Epitopes; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D007328:Insulin; D010446:Peptide Fragments