Cutting edge: CD4 T cells reactive to an islet amyloid polypeptide peptide accumulate in the pancreas and contribute to disease pathogenesis in nonobese diabetic mice

J Immunol. 2013 Oct 15;191(8):3990-4. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301480. Epub 2013 Sep 16.

Abstract

We previously reported a peptide KS20 from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) to be the target Ag for a highly diabetogenic CD4 T cell clone BDC-5.2.9. To track IAPP-reactive T cells in NOD mice and determine how they contribute to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, we designed a new I-Ag7 tetramer with high affinity for BDC-5.2.9 that contains the peptide KS20. We found that significant numbers of KS20 tetramer(+) CD4 T cells can be detected in the pancreas of prediabetic and diabetic NOD mice. To verify pathogenicity of IAPP-reactive cells, we sorted KS20 tetramer(+) cells and cloned them from uncloned T cell lines isolated from spleen and lymph nodes of diabetic mice. We isolated a new KS20-reactive Th1 CD4 T cell clone that rapidly transfers diabetes. Our results suggest that IAPP triggers a broad autoimmune response by CD4 T cells in NOD mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer
  • Animals
  • Autoantigens / immunology
  • Autoimmunity / immunology
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / immunology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / immunology*
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / immunology
  • Islet Amyloid Polypeptide / immunology*
  • Lymph Nodes / cytology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Pancreas / immunology
  • Prediabetic State / immunology*
  • Spleen / cytology

Substances

  • Autoantigens
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
  • I-A g7 antigen
  • Islet Amyloid Polypeptide