Reduced diabetes in btk-deficient nonobese diabetic mice and restoration of diabetes with provision of an anti-insulin IgH chain transgene.
Type 1 diabetes results from T cell-mediated destruction of insulin-producing beta cells. Although elimination of B lymphocytes has proven successful at preventing disease, modulation of B cell function as a means to prevent type 1 diabetes has not been investigated. The development, fate, and function of B lymphocytes depend upon BCR signaling, which is mediated in part by Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK). When introduced into NOD mice, btk deficiency only modestly reduces B cell numbers, but dramatically protects against diabetes. In NOD, btk deficiency mirrors changes in B cell subsets seen in other strains, but also improves B cell-related tolerance, as indicated by failure to generate insulin autoantibodies. Introduction of an anti-insulin BCR H chain transgene restores diabetes in btk-deficient NOD mice, indicating that btk-deficient B cells are functionally capable of promoting autoimmune diabetes if they have a critical autoimmune specificity. This suggests that the disease-protective effect of btk deficiency may reflect a lack of autoreactive specificities in the B cell repertoire. Thus, signaling via BTK can be modulated to improve B cell tolerance, and prevent T cell-mediated autoimmune diabetes.
Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212, USA. peggy.kendall@vanderbilt.edu
Peggy L
PL
Kendall
Daniel J
DJ
Moore
Chrys
C
Hulbert
Kristen L
KL
Hoek
Wasif N
WN
Khan
James W
JW
Thomas
D000077329:Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007330:Insulin Antibodies / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019076:Transgenes
D001323:Autoantibodies; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007328:Insulin; D007330:Insulin Antibodies; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D000077329:Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase; C000625951:Btk protein, mouse