A new role for an old player: do B cells unleash the self-reactive CD8+ T cell storm necessary for the development of type 1 diabetes?
Type I diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease mediated by a selective immune-mediated destruction of the insulin containing beta cells within the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. T cells reactive to beta cell-derived antigens are critical for the pathogenesis of type I diabetes, indeed treatments that target T cells are currently in clinical trials. CD8+ T cells may play a particularly crucial role in the onset of hyperglycaemia, as they can mediate beta cell destruction late in the pathogenesis of diabetes. However, the precise steps by which beta cell-reactive CD8+ T cells are activated are poorly understood. In this review we speculate on the possibility that B cells are essential for the activation and expansion of pathogenic CD8+ T cells that cause final beta cell destruction. We also discuss the involvement of different B cell subsets in the aetiology of diabetes.
Mariño
Eliana
E
Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia.
Grey
Shane T
ST
D000818:Animals; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000276:immunology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism