title: Insulin--a primary autoantigen in type 1 diabetes?
abstract: Two recently published papers highlight the importance of insulin as a major autoantigenic target of the T cell autoimmune attack in the non-obese diabetic mouse model of diabetes and in type 1 diabetes in humans. Knowledge of the major targets of the autoimmune attack will enable us specifically to focus on these to develop treatments that could alter the ability of pathogenic T cells to cause diabetes. Targeting these T cells could be a strategy for the prevention and cure of the diabetes in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, University Walk, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK. susan.wong@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: F Susan
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D007328:Insulin