title: CD44 gene vaccination for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in non-obese diabetic mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Standard CD44 and its alternatively spliced variants were found to be associated with the metastatic potential of tumor cells and with cell migration of autoimmune inflammatory cells, including cells involved in experimental insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether induction of anti-CD44 immune reactivity, through cDNA vaccination, could attenuate IDDM in a transfer model of NOD mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our vaccination technique involved the insertion of CD44s or CD44v cDNA into a silicone tube filled with a 2.5 cm long segment of hydroxylated-polyvinyl acetate wound dressing sponge (forming a virtual lymph node) which was implanted under the skin of male NOD recipients reconstituted with diabetogenic spleen cells of female NOD donors. The VLN were implanted 20 days before and 3 days after cell transfer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In contrast to control groups of recipient mice, recipients vaccinated with VLN loaded with CD44v or CD44s cDNAs developed resistance to IDDM almost to the same extent. Our results suggest that the gene vaccination effect was mediated by anti-CD44 antibody rather than by cellular immunity. Histopathological examinations revealed a significant protection of pancreatic islets in the DNA-vaccinated recipients, whereas the islets of control recipients of diabetogenic cells were almost totally destroyed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings may open new opportunities for IDDM therapy in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Research Laboratory, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Lola
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Botero-Anug
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hand
authors.forename: Shimon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Slavin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Naor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods; D019444:Vaccines, DNA
chemical_list: D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D019444:Vaccines, DNA