title: Immunology in the clinic review series; focus on type 1 diabetes and viruses: how viral infections modulate beta cell function.
abstract: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a multi-factorial immune-mediated disease characterized by the autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic islet beta cells in genetically susceptible individuals. Epidemiological evidence has also documented the constant rise in the incidence of T1DM worldwide, with viral infections representing one of the candidate environmental risk factors identified by several independent studies. In fact, epidemiological data showed that T1DM incidence increases after epidemics due to enteroviruses and that enteroviral RNA can be detected in the blood of >50% of T1DM patients at the time of disease onset. Furthermore, both in-vitro and ex-vivo studies have shown that viruses can infect pancreatic beta cells with consequent effects ranging from functional damage to cell death.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Unit, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Endocrine and Metabolic Sciences and Biochemistry, University of Siena, Viale Bracci 18, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Grieco
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Spagnuolo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dotta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II