title: Developmental expression of the type I diabetes related antigen sulfatide and sulfated lactosylceramide in mammalian pancreas.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that sulfatide is present and functionally involved in beta cells, and that anti-sulfatide antibodies (ASA) exist during development of type I diabetes mellitus. To further explore the possible role of sulfatide in type I diabetes, developmental expression was examined in human pancreas and in pancreas of the type I diabetes models BB rat and NOD mouse compared to Lewis rat and BALB/c mouse, respectively. Sulfatide was not only expressed in adult pancreas, but also in human fetal and rodent neonatal pancreas, i.e., during the growing period of the immunological self. Sulfatide had a different expression pattern in human beings and rodents, concerning both the amounts of sulfatide and expression during development. There was no change in the sulfatide fatty acid isoform expression during development. The pancreatic expression of another sulfated glycosphingolipid, sulfated lactosylceramide, indicated that this molecule is a potential fetal/neonatal marker, which was further expressed in the type I diabetic models. In conclusion, these findings give further support to the possibility that sulfatide is a relevant autoantigen in type I diabetes and that sulfated lactosylceramide might function as a potential risk factor for disease development, at least in the animal models.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Experimental Neuroscience Section, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Mölndal, SE-431 80 Mölndal, Sweden. maria.blomqvist@neuro.gu.se
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blomqvist
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaas
authors.forename: Jan-Eric
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Månsson
authors.forename: Bent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Formby
authors.forename: Britt-Marie
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Rynmark
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Buschard
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fredman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007790:Lactosylceramides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D010179:Pancreas / Q000196:embryology / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013433:Sulfoglycosphingolipids / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D007790:Lactosylceramides; D013433:Sulfoglycosphingolipids; C009744:CDw17 antigen