title: Evaluation of T regulatory cell apoptosis in children with newly recognized type 1 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Type 1 diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by an autoimmune, T-cell dependent destruction of insulin producing pancreatic beta cells. T regulatory cells (Tregs) are critical regulators of immune tolerance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to investigate CD4 +CD25 highFoxP3 cell apoptosis in the peripheral blood of children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  34 children (15 girls and 19 boys) with new onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus, of the mean age 6.9 ±5.2 (range 0.9-17.5 yr) and 18 healthy controls (8 girls, 10 boys) of the mean age 7.3 ±4.6 (1.9-17.5 yr) were included into the study. Flow cytometric analysis of Tregs was performed using the following markers: anti-CD4, anti-CD25 and transcription factor FoxP3. Apoptosis was measured using anti-active caspase-3 monoclonal antibody. The percentage of apoptotic cells was measured within CD4 +CD25 highFoxP3+ cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of apoptotic CD4 +CD25 highFoxP3 + cells between children with diabetes and healthy subjects; the median value 0 (range 0-26.8) vs. 0 (range 0-2.6), respectively (P = 0.302). Further, clinical studies on a larger cohort of diabetic children are needed to evaluate T regulatory cell apoptosis, especially for future immune-based therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. agnieszka.szypowska@gmail.com
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szypowska
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stelmaszczyk-Emmel
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Demkow
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luczynski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017209:Apoptosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors