Accumulating evidence that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), the key hematopoietic growth factor of the myeloid lineage, not only represents a major component of the endogenous response to infections, but also affects adaptive immune responses, prompted us to investigate the therapeutic potential of G-CSF in autoimmune type 1 diabetes. Treatment with G-CSF protected NOD mice from developing spontaneous diabetes. G-CSF triggered marked recruitment of dendritic cells (DCs), particularly immature CD11c(lo)B220(+) plasmacytoid DCs, with reduced costimulatory signal expression and higher interferon-alpha but lower interleukin-12p70 release capacity than DCs in excipient-treated mice. G-CSF recipients further displayed accumulation of functional CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T-cells that produce transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and actively suppressed diabetes transfer by diabetogenic effector cells in secondary NOD-SCID recipients. G-CSF's ability to promote key tolerogenic interactions between DCs and regulatory T-cells was demonstrated by enhanced recruitment of TGF-beta1-expressing CD4(+)CD25(+) cells after adoptive transfer of DCs isolated from G-CSF- relative to vehicle-treated mice into naive NOD recipients. The present results suggest that G-CSF, a promoter of tolerogenic DCs, may be evaluated for the treatment of human type 1 diabetes, possibly in association with direct inhibitors of T-cell activation. They also provide a rationale for a protective role of the endogenous G-CSF produced during infections in early diabetes.