1
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Amdare NP, Shultz LD, Greiner DL, DiLorenzo TP. Human insulin as both antigen and protector in type 1 diabetes. Eur J Immunol 2024:e2350949. [PMID: 38778498 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202350949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by T-cell responses to islet antigens. Investigations in humans and the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of T1D have revealed that T-cell reactivity to insulin plays a central role in the autoimmune response. As there is no convenient NOD-based model to study human insulin (hIns) or its T-cell epitopes in the context of spontaneous T1D, we developed a NOD mouse strain transgenically expressing hIns in islets under the control of the human regulatory region. Female NOD.hIns mice developed T1D at approximately the same rate and overall incidence as NOD mice. Islet-infiltrating T cells from NOD.hIns mice recognized hIns peptides; both CD8 and CD4 T-cell epitopes were identified. We also demonstrate that islet-infiltrating T cells from HLA-transgenic NOD.hIns mice can be used to identify potentially patient-relevant hIns T-cell epitopes. Besides serving as an antigen, hIns was expressed in the thymus of NOD.hIns mice and could serve as a protector against T1D under certain circumstances, as previously suggested by genetic studies in humans. NOD.hIns mice and related strains facilitate human-relevant epitope discovery efforts and the investigation of fundamental questions that cannot be readily addressed in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitin P Amdare
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | | | - Dale L Greiner
- Program in Molecular Medicine, Diabetes Center of Excellence, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Teresa P DiLorenzo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine (Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- The Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
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2
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Hardtke-Wolenski M, Landwehr-Kenzel S. Tipping the balance in autoimmunity: are regulatory t cells the cause, the cure, or both? Mol Cell Pediatr 2024; 11:3. [PMID: 38507159 PMCID: PMC10954601 DOI: 10.1186/s40348-024-00176-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a specialized subgroup of T-cell lymphocytes that is crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis and preventing excessive immune responses. Depending on their differentiation route, Tregs can be subdivided into thymically derived Tregs (tTregs) and peripherally induced Tregs (pTregs), which originate from conventional T cells after extrathymic differentiation at peripheral sites. Although the regulatory attributes of tTregs and pTregs partially overlap, their modes of action, protein expression profiles, and functional stability exhibit specific characteristics unique to each subset. Over the last few years, our knowledge of Treg differentiation, maturation, plasticity, and correlations between their phenotypes and functions has increased. Genetic and functional studies in patients with numeric and functional Treg deficiencies have contributed to our mechanistic understanding of immune dysregulation and autoimmune pathologies. This review provides an overview of our current knowledge of Treg biology, discusses monogenetic Treg pathologies and explores the role of Tregs in various other autoimmune disorders. Additionally, we discuss novel approaches that explore Tregs as targets or agents of innovative treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Hardtke-Wolenski
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Gastroenterology Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, Hannover, 30625, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, Essen, 45122, Germany
| | - Sybille Landwehr-Kenzel
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, Hannover, 30625, Germany.
- Hannover Medical School, Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Engineering, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, Hannover, 30625, Germany.
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3
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Saetzler V, Riet T, Schienke A, Henschel P, Freitag K, Haake A, Heppner FL, Buitrago-Molina LE, Noyan F, Jaeckel E, Hardtke-Wolenski M. Development of Beta-Amyloid-Specific CAR-Tregs for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. Cells 2023; 12:2115. [PMID: 37626926 PMCID: PMC10453937 DOI: 10.3390/cells12162115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that remains uncured. Its pathogenesis is characterized by the formation of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques. The use of antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs) through adoptive transfer has shown promise for the treatment of many inflammatory diseases, although the effectiveness of polyspecific Tregs is limited. Obtaining a sufficient number of antigen-specific Tregs from patients remains challenging. AIMS AND METHODS To address this problem, we used an antibody-like single-chain variable fragment from a phage library and subsequently generated a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting β-amyloid. RESULTS The β-amyloid-specific CARs obtained were stimulated by both recombinant and membrane-bound Aβ isolated from the murine brain. The generated CAR-Tregs showed a normal Treg phenotype, were antigen-specific activatable, and had suppressive capacity. CONCLUSION This study highlights the potential of CAR technology to generate antigen-specific Tregs and presents novel approaches for developing functional CARs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Saetzler
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
| | - Tobias Riet
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Tumor Genetics, University Hospital of Cologne and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Andrea Schienke
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
| | - Pierre Henschel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
| | - Kiara Freitag
- Department of Neuropathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (K.F.); (A.H.); (F.L.H.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) within the Helmholtz Association, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Haake
- Department of Neuropathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (K.F.); (A.H.); (F.L.H.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) within the Helmholtz Association, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank L. Heppner
- Department of Neuropathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (K.F.); (A.H.); (F.L.H.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) within the Helmholtz Association, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura Elisa Buitrago-Molina
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
| | - Fatih Noyan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
| | - Elmar Jaeckel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Multi Organ Transplant Program, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Matthias Hardtke-Wolenski
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; (V.S.); (T.R.); (A.S.); (P.H.); (L.E.B.-M.); (F.N.); (E.J.)
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
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4
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Krishnamurthy B, Lacorcia M, Kay TWH, Thomas HE, Mannering SI. Monitoring immunomodulation strategies in type 1 diabetes. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1206874. [PMID: 37346035 PMCID: PMC10279879 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1206874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T-cell mediated autoimmune disease. Short-term treatment with agents targeting T cells, B cells and inflammatory cytokines to modify the disease course resulted in a short-term pause in disease activity. Lessons learnt from these trials will be discussed in this review. It is expected that effective disease-modifying agents will become available for use in earlier stages of T1D. Progress has been made to analyze antigen-specific T cells with standardization of T cell assay and discovery of antigen epitopes but there are many challenges. High-dimensional profiling of gene, protein and TCR expression at single cell level with innovative computational tools should lead to novel biomarker discovery. With this, assays to detect, quantify and characterize the phenotype and function of antigen-specific T cells will continuously evolve. An improved understanding of T cell responses will help researchers and clinicians to better predict disease onset, and progression, and the therapeutic efficacy of interventions to prevent or arrest T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balasubramanian Krishnamurthy
- Immunology and Diabetes Unit, St Vincent’s Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Matthew Lacorcia
- Immunology and Diabetes Unit, St Vincent’s Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas W. H. Kay
- Immunology and Diabetes Unit, St Vincent’s Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Helen E. Thomas
- Immunology and Diabetes Unit, St Vincent’s Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Stuart I. Mannering
- Immunology and Diabetes Unit, St Vincent’s Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
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5
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Kremer J, Henschel P, Simon D, Riet T, Falk C, Hardtke-Wolenski M, Wedemeyer H, Noyan F, Jaeckel E. Membrane-bound IL-2 improves the expansion, survival, and phenotype of CAR Tregs and confers resistance to calcineurin inhibitors. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1005582. [PMID: 36618378 PMCID: PMC9816406 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1005582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis and the establishment of immune tolerance. Since Tregs do not secrete endogenous IL-2, they are especially dependent on external IL-2. IL-2 deficiency leads to lower Treg numbers, instability of the Treg phenotype and loss of immune regulation. After organ transplantation, patients are treated with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), which further limits available IL-2. Application of low-dose IL-2 expands Tregs but also activates NK and CD8+ T cells. It was recently shown that graft-specific Tregs recognizing mismatched MHC I molecules via a chimeric antigen receptor were far more potent than polyclonal Tregs in the regulation of immune responses after solid organ transplantation in a humanized mouse model. Methods Therefore, our aim was to enhance the function and stability of transferred CAR-Tregs via expression of membrane-associated IL-2 (mbIL-2). Results mbIL-2 promoted higher survival, phenotypic stability, and function among CAR-Tregs than observed in clinical trials. The cells were also more stable under inflammatory conditions. In a preclinical humanized mouse model, we demonstrated that mbIL-2 CAR Tregs survive better in the Treg niche than control CAR Tregs and are even resistant to CNI therapy without affecting other Tregs, thus acting mainly in cis. Discussion The functional and phenotypic improvements observed after membrane-attached IL-2 expression in CAR-Tregs will be important step for enhancing CAR-Treg therapies currently being tested in clinical trials for use after kidney and liver transplantation as well as in autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Kremer
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Pierre Henschel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Daniel Simon
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Tobias Riet
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Tumor Genetics, University Hospital of Cologne and Center for Molecular Medicine, Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Christine Falk
- Institute of Transplant Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Matthias Hardtke-Wolenski
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Essen University Hospital, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Heiner Wedemeyer
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Fatih Noyan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Elmar Jaeckel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Department of liver transplantation, Multi Organ Transplant Program, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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6
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Jhala G, Selck C, Chee J, Kwong CTJ, Pappas EG, Thomas HE, Kay TWH, Krishnamurthy B. Tolerance to Proinsulin-1 Reduces Autoimmune Diabetes in NOD Mice. Front Immunol 2021; 12:645817. [PMID: 33841427 PMCID: PMC8027244 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.645817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell responses to insulin and its precursor proinsulin are central to islet autoimmunity in humans and non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice that spontaneously develop autoimmune diabetes. Mice have two proinsulin genes proinsulin -1 and 2 that are differentially expressed, with predominant proinsulin-2 expression in the thymus and proinsulin-1 in islet beta-cells. In contrast to proinsulin-2, proinsulin-1 knockout NOD mice are protected from autoimmune diabetes. This indicates that proinsulin-1 epitopes in beta-cells maybe preferentially targeted by autoreactive T cells. To study the contribution of proinsulin-1 reactive T cells in autoimmune diabetes, we generated transgenic NOD mice with tetracycline-regulated expression of proinsulin-1 in antigen presenting cells (TIP-1 mice) with an aim to induce immune tolerance. TIP-1 mice displayed a significantly reduced incidence of spontaneous diabetes, which was associated with reduced severity of insulitis and insulin autoantibody development. Antigen experienced proinsulin specific T cells were significantly reduced in in TIP-1 mice indicating immune tolerance. Moreover, T cells from TIP-1 mice expressing proinsulin-1 transferred diabetes at a significantly reduced frequency. However, proinsulin-1 expression in APCs had minimal impact on the immune responses to the downstream antigen islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein (IGRP) and did not prevent diabetes in NOD 8.3 mice with a pre-existing repertoire of IGRP reactive T cells. Thus, boosting immune tolerance to proinsulin-1 partially prevents islet-autoimmunity. This study further extends the previously established role of proinsulin-1 epitopes in autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurang Jhala
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Jonathan Chee
- National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | | | | | - Helen E Thomas
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas W H Kay
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Balasubramanian Krishnamurthy
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
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7
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Matsumoto M, Tsuneyama K, Morimoto J, Hosomichi K, Matsumoto M, Nishijima H. Tissue-specific autoimmunity controlled by Aire in thymic and peripheral tolerance mechanisms. Int Immunol 2020; 32:117-131. [PMID: 31586207 PMCID: PMC7005526 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Tissue-specific autoimmune diseases are assumed to arise through malfunction of two checkpoints for immune tolerance: defective elimination of autoreactive T cells in the thymus and activation of these T cells by corresponding autoantigens in the periphery. However, evidence for this model and the outcome of such alterations in each or both of the tolerance mechanisms have not been sufficiently investigated. We studied these issues by expressing human AIRE (huAIRE) as a modifier of tolerance function in NOD mice wherein the defects of thymic and peripheral tolerance together cause type I diabetes (T1D). Additive huAIRE expression in the thymic stroma had no major impact on the production of diabetogenic T cells in the thymus. In contrast, huAIRE expression in peripheral antigen-presenting cells (APCs) rendered the mice resistant to T1D, while maintaining other tissue-specific autoimmune responses and antibody production against an exogenous protein antigen, because of the loss of Xcr1+ dendritic cells, an essential component for activating diabetogenic T cells in the periphery. These results contrast with our recent demonstration that huAIRE expression in both the thymic stroma and peripheral APCs resulted in the paradoxical development of muscle-specific autoimmunity. Our results reveal that tissue-specific autoimmunity is differentially controlled by a combination of thymic function and peripheral tolerance, which can be manipulated by expression of huAIRE/Aire in each or both of the tolerance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Hosomichi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Nishijima
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
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8
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Schloss J, Ali R, Babad J, Guerrero-Ros I, Pongsachai J, He LZ, Keler T, DiLorenzo TP. Development and Characterization of a Preclinical Model for the Evaluation of CD205-Mediated Antigen Delivery Therapeutics in Type 1 Diabetes. Immunohorizons 2019; 3:236-253. [PMID: 31356169 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.1900014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for the production of adaptive immune responses to disease-causing microbes. However, in the steady state (i.e., in the absence of an infection or when Ags are experimentally delivered without a DC-activating adjuvant), DCs present Ags to T cells in a tolerogenic manner and are important for the establishment of peripheral tolerance. Delivery of islet Ags to DCs using Ag-linked Abs to the DC endocytic receptor CD205 has shown promise in the NOD mouse model of type 1 diabetes (T1D). It is important to note, however, that all myeloid DCs express CD205 in humans, whereas in mice, only one of the classical DC subsets does (classical DC1; CD8α+ in spleen). Thus, the evaluation of CD205-targeted treatments in mice will likely not accurately predict the results observed in humans. To overcome this challenge, we have developed and characterized a novel NOD mouse model in which all myeloid DCs transgenically express human CD205 (hCD205). This NOD.hCD205 strain displays a similar T1D incidence profile to standard NOD mice. The presence of the transgene does not alter DC development, phenotype, or function. Importantly, the DCs are able to process and present Ags delivered via hCD205. Because Ags taken up via hCD205 can be presented on both class I and class II MHC, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells can be modulated. As both T cell subsets are important for T1D pathogenesis, NOD.hCD205 mice represent a unique, patient-relevant tool for the development and optimization of DC-directed T1D therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Schloss
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Riyasat Ali
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Jeffrey Babad
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | | | - Jillamika Pongsachai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Li-Zhen He
- Celldex Therapeutics Inc., Hampton, NJ 08827
| | - Tibor Keler
- Celldex Therapeutics Inc., Hampton, NJ 08827
| | - Teresa P DiLorenzo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461; .,Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461.,Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461; and.,The Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
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9
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Đedović N, Paunović V, Stojanović I. Isolation and enrichment of mouse insulin-specific CD4 + T regulatory cells. J Immunol Methods 2019; 470:46-54. [PMID: 31039339 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2019.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Polyclonal T regulatory cells (Treg - CD4+CD25+CD127lowFoxp3+) are used in several protocols for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D), multiple sclerosis and graft-versus host disease in clinical trials. However, general opinion is that autoantigen-specific Treg could be more efficient in autoimmunity suppression due to their direct effect on pathogenic autoantigen-specific effector T cells. This study describes isolation and expansion of insulin-specific Treg in vitro. Insulin-specific Treg are uniformly distributed in lymphoid tissues however their number is extremely low. To enrich the proportion of insulin-specific Treg, pure CD4+ cells were co-cultured with insulin B chain peptide-loaded dendritic cells, isolated from mice that develop T1D spontaneously - NOD mice. Insulin-specific CD4+ cell expansion peaked after 48 h of incubation and was in favour of Treg. These cells were then sorted using insulin peptide-loaded MHC class II tetramers and cultured in vitro for 48 h in the presence of TCR stimulators, TGF-β and IL-2. The proportion of gained insulin-specific cells with T regulatory phenotype (CD4+CD25highCD127lowGITR+FoxP3+) was in average between 93% and 97%. These cells have shown potent in vitro suppressive effect on T effector cells, produced IL-10 and TGF-β and expressed PD-1 and CD39. Further proliferation of these insulin-specific Treg required the presence of dendritic cells, anti-CD3 antibody and IL-2. This study provides new, reproducible experimental design for the enrichment and expansion of insulin-specific Treg that can be used for the cell-based therapy of autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Đedović
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Verica Paunović
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivana Stojanović
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
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10
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Nakayama M, Michels AW. Determining Antigen Specificity of Human Islet Infiltrating T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes. Front Immunol 2019; 10:365. [PMID: 30906293 PMCID: PMC6418007 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes, the immune mediated form of diabetes, represents a prototypical organ specific autoimmune disease in that insulin producing pancreatic islets are specifically targeted by T cells. The disease is now predictable in humans with the measurement of type 1 diabetes associated autoantibodies (islet autoantibodies) in the peripheral blood which are directed against insulin and beta cell proteins. With an increasing incidence of disease, especially in young children, large well-controlled clinical prevention trials using antigen specific immunotherapy have been completed but with limited clinical benefit. To improve outcomes, it is critical to understand the antigen and T cell receptor repertoires of those cells that infiltrate the target organ, pancreatic islets, in human type 1 diabetes. With international networks to identify organ donors with type 1 diabetes, improved immunosequencing platforms, and the ability to reconstitute T cell receptors of interest into immortalized cell lines allows antigen discovery efforts for rare tissue specific T cells. Here we review the disease pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes with a focus on human islet infiltrating T cell antigen discovery efforts, which provides necessary knowledge to define biomarkers of disease activity and improve antigen specific immunotherapy approaches for disease prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron W Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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11
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Akimoto H, Fukuda-Kawaguchi E, Duramad O, Ishii Y, Tanabe K. A Novel Liposome Formulation Carrying Both an Insulin Peptide and a Ligand for Invariant Natural Killer T Cells Induces Accumulation of Regulatory T Cells to Islets in Nonobese Diabetic Mice. J Diabetes Res 2019; 2019:9430473. [PMID: 31781669 PMCID: PMC6855036 DOI: 10.1155/2019/9430473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease caused by the destruction of pancreatic β cells by autoantigen-reactive diabetogenic cells. Antigen-specific therapies using islet autoantigens for restoring immune tolerance have emerged as promising approaches for the treatment of T1D but have been unsuccessful in humans. Herein, we report that RGI-3100-iB, a novel liposomal formulation carrying both α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), which is a representative ligand for invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, and insulin B chain 9-23 peptide, which is an epitope for CD4+ T cells, could induce the accumulation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in islets in a peptide-dependent manner, followed by the remarkable prevention of diabetes onset in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. While multiple administrations of a monotherapy using either α-GalCer or insulin B peptide in a liposomal formulation was confirmed to delay/prevent T1D in NOD mice, RGI-3100-iB synergistically enhanced the prevention effect of each monotherapy and alleviated insulitis in NOD mice. Immunopathological analysis showed that Foxp3+ Tregs accumulated in the islets in RGI-3100-iB-treated mice. Cotransfer of diabetogenic T cells and splenocytes of NOD mice treated with RGI-3100-iB, but not liposomal α-GalCer encapsulating an unrelated peptide, to NOD-SCID mice resulted in the prevention of diabetes and elevation of Foxp3 mRNA expression in the islets. These data indicate that the migration of insulin B-peptide-specific Tregs to islet of NOD mice that are involved in the suppression of pathogenic T cells related to diabetes onset and progression could be enhanced by the administration of liposomes containing α-GalCer and insulin B peptide.
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MESH Headings
- Adoptive Transfer
- Animals
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/metabolism
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/prevention & control
- Disease Models, Animal
- Drug Compounding
- Female
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Galactosylceramides/administration & dosage
- Hypoglycemic Agents/administration & dosage
- Insulin/administration & dosage
- Islets of Langerhans/drug effects
- Islets of Langerhans/immunology
- Islets of Langerhans/metabolism
- Liposomes
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, SCID
- Natural Killer T-Cells/drug effects
- Natural Killer T-Cells/immunology
- Natural Killer T-Cells/metabolism
- Peptide Fragments/administration & dosage
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/drug effects
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/transplantation
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidetoshi Akimoto
- Research Division, REGiMMUNE Corporation, 35-3 Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, BRICK GATE 5F, Chuou-Ku, Tokyo 103-0015, Japan
| | - Emi Fukuda-Kawaguchi
- Research Division, REGiMMUNE Corporation, 35-3 Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, BRICK GATE 5F, Chuou-Ku, Tokyo 103-0015, Japan
| | - Omar Duramad
- Research Division, REGiMMUNE Inc, 820 Heinz Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA
| | - Yasuyuki Ishii
- Research Division, REGiMMUNE Corporation, 35-3 Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, BRICK GATE 5F, Chuou-Ku, Tokyo 103-0015, Japan
| | - Kazunari Tanabe
- Department of Urology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan
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12
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Wan X, Unanue ER. Antigen recognition in autoimmune diabetes: a novel pathway underlying disease initiation. PRECISION CLINICAL MEDICINE 2018; 1:102-110. [PMID: 30687564 PMCID: PMC6333048 DOI: 10.1093/pcmedi/pby015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 10/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of human autoimmune disorders results from complex interplay among genetic, environmental, and immunological risk factors. Despite much heterogeneity in environmental triggers, the leading genes that give the propensity for tissue-specific autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, are those associated with particular class II major histocompatibility complex alleles. Such genetic predisposition precipitates presentation of tissue antigens to MHC-II-restricted CD4 T cells. When properly activated, these self-reactive CD4 T cells migrate to the target tissue and trigger the initial immune attack. Using the non-obese diabetic mouse model of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes, much insight has been gained in understanding how presentation of physiological levels of self-antigens translates into pathological outcomes. In this review, we summarize recent advances illustrating the features of the antigen presenting cells, the sites of the antigen recognition, and the nature of the consequent T cell responses. We emphasize emerging evidence that highlights the importance of systemic presentation of catabolized tissue antigens in mobilization of pathogenic T cells. The implication of these studies in therapeutic perspectives is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiao Wan
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Emil R Unanue
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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13
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Revealing the specificity of regulatory T cells in murine autoimmune diabetes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:5265-5270. [PMID: 29712852 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1715590115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) control organ-specific autoimmunity in a tissue antigen-specific manner, yet little is known about their specificity in a natural repertoire. In this study, we used the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of autoimmune diabetes to investigate the antigen specificity of Tregs present in the inflamed tissue, the islets of Langerhans. Compared with Tregs present in spleen and lymph node, Tregs in the islets showed evidence of antigen stimulation that correlated with higher proliferation and expression of activation markers CD103, ICOS, and TIGIT. T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire profiling demonstrated that islet Treg clonotypes are expanded in the islets, suggesting localized antigen-driven expansion in inflamed islets. To determine their specificity, we captured TCRαβ pairs from islet Tregs using single-cell TCR sequencing and found direct evidence that some of these TCRs were specific for islet-derived antigens including insulin B:9-23 and proinsulin. Consistently, insulin B:9-23 tetramers readily detected insulin-specific Tregs in the islets of NOD mice. Lastly, islet Tregs from prediabetic NOD mice were effective at preventing diabetes in Treg-deficient NOD.CD28-/- recipients. These results provide a glimpse into the specificities of Tregs in a natural repertoire that are crucial for opposing the progression of autoimmune diabetes.
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14
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Lee T, Sprouse ML, Banerjee P, Bettini M, Bettini ML. Ectopic Expression of Self-Antigen Drives Regulatory T Cell Development and Not Deletion of Autoimmune T Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 199:2270-2278. [PMID: 28835461 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease that is characterized by Ag-specific targeting and destruction of insulin-producing β cells. Although multiple studies have characterized the pathogenic potential of β cell-specific T cells, we have limited mechanistic insight into self-reactive autoimmune T cell development and their escape from negative selection in the thymus. In this study, we demonstrate that ectopic expression of insulin epitope B:9-23 (InsB9-23) by thymic APCs is insufficient to induce deletion of high- or low-affinity InsB9-23-reactive CD4+ T cells; however, we observe an increase in the proportion and number of thymic and peripheral Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. In contrast, the MHC stable insulin mimetope (InsB9-23 R22E) efficiently deletes insulin-specific T cells and prevents escape of high-affinity thymocytes. Collectively, these results suggest that Ag dose and peptide-MHC complex stability can lead to multiple fates of insulin-reactive CD4+ T cell development and autoimmune disease outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Lee
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030; and
| | - Maran L Sprouse
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030; and
| | - Pinaki Banerjee
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Maria Bettini
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030; and
| | - Matthew L Bettini
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030; and
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15
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Unique features in the presentation of insulin epitopes in autoimmune diabetes: an update. Curr Opin Immunol 2017; 46:30-37. [PMID: 28456018 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2016] [Revised: 03/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Although an autoimmune disease involves diverse self-antigens, the initiation stage may require recognition of a limited number. This concept is verified in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of autoimmune diabetes, in which strong evidence points to insulin as the prime antigen. The NOD mouse bears the I-Ag7 class II-MHC molecules (MHCII) that share common biochemical features and peptidome selection with the human diabetes-susceptible HLA-DQ8. Furthermore, both NOD mice and patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) display an early appearance of insulin autoantibodies (IAAs) and subsequent insulin-reactive T cell infiltration into the islets. Therefore, a better understanding of insulin presentation is crucial for assessing disease pathogenesis and therapeutic intervention. Here, we summarize recent advances in insulin presentation events that underlie the essential role of this autoantigen in driving autoimmune diabetes.
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16
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Michels AW, Landry LG, McDaniel KA, Yu L, Campbell-Thompson M, Kwok WW, Jones KL, Gottlieb PA, Kappler JW, Tang Q, Roep BO, Atkinson MA, Mathews CE, Nakayama M. Islet-Derived CD4 T Cells Targeting Proinsulin in Human Autoimmune Diabetes. Diabetes 2017; 66:722-734. [PMID: 27920090 PMCID: PMC5319719 DOI: 10.2337/db16-1025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes results from chronic autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing β-cells within pancreatic islets. Although insulin is a critical self-antigen in animal models of autoimmune diabetes, due to extremely limited access to pancreas samples, little is known about human antigenic targets for islet-infiltrating T cells. Here we show that proinsulin peptides are targeted by islet-infiltrating T cells from patients with type 1 diabetes. We identified hundreds of T cells from inflamed pancreatic islets of three young organ donors with type 1 diabetes with a short disease duration with high-risk HLA genes using a direct T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing approach without long-term cell culture. Among 85 selected CD4 TCRs tested for reactivity to preproinsulin peptides presented by diabetes-susceptible HLA-DQ and HLA-DR molecules, one T cell recognized C-peptide amino acids 19-35, and two clones from separate donors responded to insulin B-chain amino acids 9-23 (B:9-23), which are known to be a critical self-antigen-driving disease progress in animal models of autoimmune diabetes. These B:9-23-specific T cells from islets responded to whole proinsulin and islets, whereas previously identified B:9-23 responsive clones from peripheral blood did not, highlighting the importance of proinsulin-specific T cells in the islet microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron W Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Laurie G Landry
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Kristen A McDaniel
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Liping Yu
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Martha Campbell-Thompson
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - William W Kwok
- Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Kenneth L Jones
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Peter A Gottlieb
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - John W Kappler
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Denver, CO
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
- Program in Structural Biology and Biochemistry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Qizhi Tang
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Bart O Roep
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Diabetes Immunology, Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
| | - Mark A Atkinson
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Clayton E Mathews
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
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17
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Bettini ML, Bettini M. Understanding Autoimmune Diabetes through the Prism of the Tri-Molecular Complex. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:351. [PMID: 29312143 PMCID: PMC5735072 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The strongest susceptibility allele for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is human leukocyte antigen (HLA), which supports a central role for T cells as the drivers of autoimmunity. However, the precise mechanisms that allow thymic escape and peripheral activation of beta cell antigen-specific T cells are still largely unknown. Studies performed with the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse have challenged several immunological dogmas, and have made the NOD mouse a key experimental system to study the steps of immunodysregulation that lead to autoimmune diabetes. The structural similarities between the NOD I-Ag7 and HLA-DQ8 have revealed the stability of the T cell receptor (TCR)/HLA/peptide tri-molecular complex as an important parameter in the development of autoimmune T cells, as well as afforded insights into the key antigens targeted in T1D. In this review, we will provide a summary of the current understanding with regard to autoimmune T cell development, the significance of the antigens targeted in T1D, and the relationship between TCR affinity and immune regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L. Bettini
- Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, McNair Medical Institute, Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Matthew L. Bettini, ; Maria Bettini,
| | - Maria Bettini
- Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, McNair Medical Institute, Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Matthew L. Bettini, ; Maria Bettini,
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18
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Thayer TC, Pearson JA, De Leenheer E, Hanna SJ, Boldison J, Davies J, Tsui A, Ahmed S, Easton P, Siew LK, Wen L, Wong FS. Peripheral Proinsulin Expression Controls Low-Avidity Proinsulin-Reactive CD8 T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes 2016; 65:3429-3439. [PMID: 27495224 DOI: 10.2337/db15-1649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Low-avidity autoreactive CD8 T cells (CTLs) escape from thymic negative selection, and peripheral tolerance mechanisms are essential for their regulation. We report the role of proinsulin (PI) expression on the development and activation of insulin-specific CTLs in the NOD mouse model of type 1 diabetes. We studied insulin B-chain-specific CTL from different T-cell receptor transgenic mice (G9Cα-/-) expressing normal PI1 and PI2 or altered PI expression levels. In the absence of PI2 (Ins2-/-), CTL in pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs) were more activated, and male G9Cα-/- mice developed T1D. Furthermore, when the insulin-specific CTLs developed in transgenic mice lacking their specific PI epitope, the CTLs demonstrated increased cytotoxicity and proliferation in vitro and in vivo in the PLNs after adoptive transfer into NOD recipients. Dendritic cell-stimulated proliferation of insulin-specific T cells was reduced in the presence of lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) from NOD mice but not from mice lacking the PI epitope. Our study shows that LNSCs regulate CTL activation and suggests that exposure to PI in the periphery is very important in maintenance of tolerance of autoreactive T cells. This is relevant for human type 1 diabetes and has implications for the use of antigen-specific therapy in tolerance induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terri C Thayer
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - James A Pearson
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Evy De Leenheer
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Stephanie J Hanna
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Joanne Boldison
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Joanne Davies
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Adrian Tsui
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Sartaj Ahmed
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Peter Easton
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Lai Khai Siew
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Li Wen
- Section of Endocrinology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - F Susan Wong
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K.
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19
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miRNA92a targets KLF2 and the phosphatase PTEN signaling to promote human T follicular helper precursors in T1D islet autoimmunity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E6659-E6668. [PMID: 27791035 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1606646113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant immune activation mediated by T effector cell populations is pivotal in the onset of autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes (T1D). T follicular helper (TFH) cells are essential in the induction of high-affinity antibodies, and their precursor memory compartment circulates in the blood. The role of TFH precursors in the onset of islet autoimmunity and signaling pathways regulating their differentiation is incompletely understood. Here, we provide direct evidence that during onset of islet autoimmunity, the insulin-specific target T-cell population is enriched with a C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5)+CD4+ TFH precursor phenotype. During onset of islet autoimmunity, the frequency of TFH precursors was controlled by high expression of microRNA92a (miRNA92a). miRNA92a-mediated TFH precursor induction was regulated by phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN) - phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) signaling involving PTEN and forkhead box protein O1 (Foxo1), supporting autoantibody generation and triggering the onset of islet autoimmunity. Moreover, we identify Krueppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) as a target of miRNA92a in regulating human TFH precursor induction. Importantly, a miRNA92a antagomir completely blocked induction of human TFH precursors in vitro. More importantly, in vivo application of a miRNA92a antagomir to nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice with ongoing islet autoimmunity resulted in a significant reduction of TFH precursors in peripheral blood and pancreatic lymph nodes. Moreover, miRNA92a antagomir application reduced immune infiltration and activation in pancreata of NOD mice as well as humanized NOD Scid IL2 receptor gamma chain knockout (NSG) human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ8 transgenic animals. We therefore propose that miRNA92a and the PTEN-PI3K-KLF2 signaling network could function as targets for innovative precision medicines to reduce T1D islet autoimmunity.
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20
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Jhala G, Chee J, Trivedi PM, Selck C, Gurzov EN, Graham KL, Thomas HE, Kay TW, Krishnamurthy B. Perinatal tolerance to proinsulin is sufficient to prevent autoimmune diabetes. JCI Insight 2016; 1:e86065. [PMID: 27699217 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.86065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
High-affinity self-reactive thymocytes are purged in the thymus, and residual self-reactive T cells, which are detectable in healthy subjects, are controlled by peripheral tolerance mechanisms. Breakdown in these mechanisms results in autoimmune disease, but antigen-specific therapy to augment natural mechanisms can prevent this. We aimed to determine when antigen-specific therapy is most effective. Islet autoantigens, proinsulin (PI), and islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein (IGRP) were expressed in the antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of autoimmune diabetes-prone nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice in a temporally controlled manner. PI expression from gestation until weaning was sufficient to completely protect NOD mice from diabetes, insulitis, and development of insulin autoantibodies. Insulin-specific T cells were significantly diminished, were naive, and did not express IFN-γ when challenged. This long-lasting effect from a brief period of treatment suggests that autoreactive T cells are not produced subsequently. We tracked IGRP206-214-specific CD8+ T cells in NOD mice expressing IGRP in APCs. When IGRP was expressed only until weaning, IGRP206-214-specific CD8+ T cells were not detected later in life. Thus, anti-islet autoimmunity is determined during early life, and autoreactive T cells are not generated in later life. Bolstering tolerance to islet antigens in the perinatal period is sufficient to impart lasting protection from diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurang Jhala
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jonathan Chee
- The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Claudia Selck
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Kate L Graham
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
| | - Helen E Thomas
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thomas Wh Kay
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
| | - Balasubramanian Krishnamurthy
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
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21
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Unanue ER, Ferris ST, Carrero JA. The role of islet antigen presenting cells and the presentation of insulin in the initiation of autoimmune diabetes in the NOD mouse. Immunol Rev 2016; 272:183-201. [PMID: 27319351 PMCID: PMC4938008 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We have been examining antigen presentation and the antigen presenting cells (APCs) in the islets of Langerhans of the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse. The purpose is to identify the earliest events that initiate autoimmunity in this confined tissue. Islets normally have a population of macrophages that is distinct from those that inhabit the exocrine pancreas. Also found in NOD islets is a minor population of dendritic cells (DCs) that bear the CD103 integrin. We find close interactions between beta cells and the two APCs that result in the initiation of the autoimmunity. Even under non-inflammatory conditions, beta cells transfer insulin-containing vesicles to the APCs of the islet. This reaction requires live cells and intimate contact. The autoimmune process starts in islets with the entrance of CD4(+) T cells and an increase in the CD103(+) DCs. Mice deficient in the Batf3 transcription factor never develop diabetes due to the absence of the CD103/CD8α lineage of DCs. We hypothesize that the 12-20 peptide of the beta chain of insulin is responsible for activation of the initial CD4(+) T-cell response during diabetogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil R. Unanue
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Division of Immunobiology, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8118, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri USA 63110
| | - Stephen T. Ferris
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Division of Immunobiology, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8118, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri USA 63110
| | - Javier A. Carrero
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Division of Immunobiology, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8118, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri USA 63110
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22
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Pearson JA, Thayer TC, McLaren JE, Ladell K, De Leenheer E, Phillips A, Davies J, Kakabadse D, Miners K, Morgan P, Wen L, Price DA, Wong FS. Proinsulin Expression Shapes the TCR Repertoire but Fails to Control the Development of Low-Avidity Insulin-Reactive CD8+ T Cells. Diabetes 2016; 65:1679-89. [PMID: 26953160 PMCID: PMC5310213 DOI: 10.2337/db15-1498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
NOD mice, a model strain for human type 1 diabetes, express proinsulin (PI) in the thymus. However, insulin-reactive T cells escape negative selection, and subsequent activation of the CD8(+) T-cell clonotype G9C8, which recognizes insulin B15-23 via an αβ T-cell receptor (TCR) incorporating TRAV8-1/TRAJ9 and TRBV19/TRBJ2-3 gene rearrangements, contributes to the development of diabetes. In this study, we used fixed TRAV8-1/TRAJ9 TCRα-chain transgenic mice to assess the impact of PI isoform expression on the insulin-reactive CD8(+) T-cell repertoire. The key findings were: 1) PI2 deficiency increases the frequency of insulin B15-23-reactive TRBV19(+)CD8(+) T cells and causes diabetes; 2) insulin B15-23-reactive TRBV19(+)CD8(+) T cells are more abundant in the pancreatic lymph nodes of mice lacking PI1 and/or PI2; 3) overexpression of PI2 decreases TRBV19 usage in the global CD8(+) T-cell compartment; 4) a biased repertoire of insulin-reactive CD8(+) T cells emerges in the periphery regardless of antigen exposure; and 5) low-avidity insulin-reactive CD8(+) T cells are less affected by antigen exposure in the thymus than in the periphery. These findings inform our understanding of the diabetogenic process and reveal new avenues for therapeutic exploitation in type 1 diabetes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibody Affinity
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/metabolism
- Insulin/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, Transgenic
- Proinsulin/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Pearson
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Terri C Thayer
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - James E McLaren
- Cellular Immunology Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Kristin Ladell
- Cellular Immunology Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Evy De Leenheer
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Amy Phillips
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Joanne Davies
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Dimitri Kakabadse
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Kelly Miners
- Cellular Immunology Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Peter Morgan
- Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - Li Wen
- Section of Endocrinology, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - David A Price
- Cellular Immunology Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K
| | - F Susan Wong
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, U.K.
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Krishnamurthy B, Selck C, Chee J, Jhala G, Kay TWH. Analysis of antigen specific T cells in diabetes - Lessons from pre-clinical studies and early clinical trials. J Autoimmun 2016; 71:35-43. [PMID: 27083395 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2016.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2016] [Revised: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Antigen-specific immune tolerance promises to provide safe and effective therapies to prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D). Antigen-specific therapy requires two components: well-defined, clinically relevant autoantigens; and safe approaches to inducing tolerance in T cells specific for these antigens. Proinsulin is a critical autoantigen in both NOD mice, based on knockout mouse studies and induction of immune tolerance to proinsulin preventing disease whereas most antigens cannot, and also in human T1D based on proinsulin-specific T cells being found in the islets of affected individuals and the early appearance of insulin autoantibodies. Effective antigen-specific therapies that prevent T1D in humans have not yet been developed although doubt remains about the best molecular form of the antigen, the dose and the route of administration. Preclinical studies suggest that antigen specific therapy is most useful when administered before onset of autoimmunity but this time-window has not been tested in humans until the recent "pre-point" study. There may be a 'window of opportunity' during the neonatal period when 'vaccine' like administration of proinsulin for a short period may be sufficient to prevent diabetes. After the onset of autoimmunity, naive antigen-specific T cells have differentiated into antigen-experienced memory cells and the immune responses have spread to multiple antigens. Induction of tolerance at this stage becomes more difficult although recent studies have suggested generation of antigen-specific TR1 cells can inhibit memory T cells. Preclinical studies are required to identify additional 'help' that is required to induce tolerance to memory T cells and develop protocols for effective therapy in individuals with established autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balasubramanian Krishnamurthy
- St. Vincent's Institute, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia
| | - Claudia Selck
- St. Vincent's Institute, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jonathan Chee
- St. Vincent's Institute, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia
| | - Guarang Jhala
- St. Vincent's Institute, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thomas W H Kay
- St. Vincent's Institute, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, 3065, Victoria, Australia.
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24
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Type 1 diabetes vaccine candidates promote human Foxp3(+)Treg induction in humanized mice. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10991. [PMID: 26975663 PMCID: PMC4796321 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune tolerance is executed partly by Foxp3+regulatory T (Treg) cells, which suppress autoreactive T cells. In autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D) impaired tolerance promotes destruction of insulin-producing β-cells. The development of autoantigen-specific vaccination strategies for Foxp3+Treg-induction and prevention of islet autoimmunity in patients is still in its infancy. Here, using human haematopoietic stem cell-engrafted NSG-HLA-DQ8 transgenic mice, we provide direct evidence for human autoantigen-specific Foxp3+Treg-induction in vivo. We identify HLA-DQ8-restricted insulin-specific CD4+T cells and demonstrate efficient human insulin-specific Foxp3+Treg-induction upon subimmunogenic vaccination with strong agonistic insulin mimetopes in vivo. Induced human Tregs are stable, show increased expression of Treg signature genes such as Foxp3, CTLA4, IL-2Rα and TIGIT and can efficiently suppress effector T cells. Such Foxp3+Treg-induction does not trigger any effector T cells. These T1D vaccine candidates could therefore represent an expedient improvement in the challenge to induce human Foxp3+Tregs and to develop novel precision medicines for prevention of islet autoimmunity in children at risk of T1D. Type 1 diabetes is associated with the loss of self-tolerance to the insulin-producing β-cells in the pancreas. Here the authors show that vaccination with insulin mimetopes can induce human insulin-specific regulatory T cells to mediate tolerance in a humanized mouse model.
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25
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Serreze DV, Niens M, Kulik J, DiLorenzo TP. Bridging Mice to Men: Using HLA Transgenic Mice to Enhance the Future Prediction and Prevention of Autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes in Humans. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1438:137-151. [PMID: 27150089 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3661-8_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Similar to the vast majority of cases in humans, the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the NOD mouse model is due to T-cell mediated autoimmune destruction of insulin producing pancreatic β cells. Particular major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotypes (designated HLA in humans; and H2 in mice) provide the primary genetic risk factor for T1D development. It has long been appreciated that within the MHC, particular unusual class II genes contribute to the development of T1D in both humans and NOD mice by allowing for the development and functional activation of β cell autoreactive CD4 T cells. However, studies in NOD mice have revealed that through interactions with other background susceptibility genes, the quite common class I variants (K(d), D(b)) characterizing this strain's H2 (g7) MHC haplotype aberrantly acquire an ability to support the development of β cell autoreactive CD8 T cell responses also essential to T1D development. Similarly, recent studies indicate that in the proper genetic context some quite common HLA class I variants also aberrantly contribute to T1D development in humans. This review focuses on how "humanized" HLA transgenic NOD mice can be created and used to identify class I dependent β cell autoreactive CD8 T cell populations of clinical relevance to T1D development. There is also discussion on how HLA transgenic NOD mice can be used to develop protocols that may ultimately be useful for the prevention of T1D in humans by attenuating autoreactive CD8 T cell responses against pancreatic β cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David V Serreze
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, USA.
| | - Marijke Niens
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, USA
| | - John Kulik
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, USA
| | - Teresa P DiLorenzo
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
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26
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Babad J, Ali R, Schloss J, DiLorenzo TP. An HLA-Transgenic Mouse Model of Type 1 Diabetes That Incorporates the Reduced but Not Abolished Thymic Insulin Expression Seen in Patients. J Diabetes Res 2016; 2016:7959060. [PMID: 26824049 PMCID: PMC4707332 DOI: 10.1155/2016/7959060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by T cell-mediated destruction of the pancreatic islet beta cells. Multiple genetic loci contribute to disease susceptibility in humans, with the most responsible locus being the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Certain MHC alleles are predisposing, including the common HLA-A(∗)02:01. After the MHC, the locus conferring the strongest susceptibility to T1D is the regulatory region of the insulin gene, and alleles associated with reduced thymic insulin expression are predisposing. Mice express two insulin genes, Ins1 and Ins2. While both are expressed in beta cells, only Ins2 is expressed in the thymus. We have developed an HLA-A(∗)02:01-transgenic NOD-based T1D model that is heterozygous for a functional Ins2 gene. These mice exhibit reduced thymic insulin expression and accelerated disease in both genders. Immune cell populations are not grossly altered, and the mice exhibit typical signs of islet autoimmunity, including CD8 T cell responses to beta cell peptides also targeted in HLA-A(∗)02:01-positive type 1 diabetes patients. This model should find utility as a tool to uncover the mechanisms underlying the association between reduced thymic insulin expression and T1D in humans and aid in preclinical studies to evaluate insulin-targeted immunotherapies for the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Babad
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Riyasat Ali
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Jennifer Schloss
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Teresa P. DiLorenzo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- *Teresa P. DiLorenzo:
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27
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Beta cells transfer vesicles containing insulin to phagocytes for presentation to T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E5496-502. [PMID: 26324934 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1515954112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Beta cells from nondiabetic mice transfer secretory vesicles to phagocytic cells. The passage was shown in culture studies where the transfer was probed with CD4 T cells reactive to insulin peptides. Two sets of vesicles were transferred, one containing insulin and another containing catabolites of insulin. The passage required live beta cells in a close cell contact interaction with the phagocytes. It was increased by high glucose concentration and required mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. Live images of beta cell-phagocyte interactions documented the intimacy of the membrane contact and the passage of the granules. The passage was found in beta cells isolated from islets of young nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice and nondiabetic mice as well as from nondiabetic humans. Ultrastructural analysis showed intraislet phagocytes containing vesicles having the distinct morphology of dense-core granules. These findings document a process whereby the contents of secretory granules become available to the immune system.
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28
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Abstract
Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) suffer excess mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) that has persisted despite substantial reductions in microvascular complications. Although T1D and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are etiologically distinct, it has generally been assumed that CVD in T1D is "the same disease" as that found in T2D. Here, we review the most recent epidemiological and clinical studies on heart disease in T1D, highlighting differences between CVD in T1D and T2D. In addition, we discuss experimental and clinical evidence for a post-myocardial infarction (MI) autoimmune heart syndrome in T1D, including the development of diagnostic assays which we believe can, for the first time, differentiate between heart disease in T1D and T2D. We postulate that a clinically unrecognized form of chronic myocardial inflammation ("myocarditis") triggered by MI contributes to the poor CVD outcomes in T1D. These findings provide a conceptual shift in our understanding of CVD in T1D and have important diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myra A Lipes
- Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, 1 Joslin Place, Rm. 373, Boston, MA, 02215, USA,
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29
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Abstract
Foxp3⁺ regulatory T (Treg) cells are critical contributors to the establishment and maintenance of immunological self-tolerance. Autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by the loss of self-tolerance to the insulin-producing β cells in the pancreas and the destruction of β cells, resulting in the development of chronic hyperglycemia at diagnosis. The application of strong agonistic T-cell receptor ligands provided under subimmunogenic conditions functions as a critical means for the efficient de novo conversion of naive CD4⁺ T cells into Foxp3⁺ Treg cells. The specific induction of Treg cells upon supply of strong-agonistic variants of certain self-antigens could therefore function as a critical instrument in order to achieve safe and specific prevention of autoimmunity such as T1D via the restoration of self-tolerance. Such immunotherapeutic strategies are being developed, and in the case of T1D aim to restrict autoimmunity and β-cell destruction. In this review, we discuss the requirements and opportunities for Treg-based tolerance approaches with the goal of interfering with autoimmune T1D.
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30
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Nayak DK, Calderon B, Vomund AN, Unanue ER. ZnT8-reactive T cells are weakly pathogenic in NOD mice but can participate in diabetes under inflammatory conditions. Diabetes 2014; 63:3438-48. [PMID: 24812429 PMCID: PMC4171664 DOI: 10.2337/db13-1882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autoantibodies to the islet-specific Zn transporter ZnT8 (Slc30a8), as well as CD4 T cells, have been identified in patients with type 1 diabetes. Here we examined for CD4 T-cell reactivity to ZnT8 epitopes in the NOD mouse. Immunization with a cytoplasmic domain of the protein or with peptides predicted to bind to I-A(g7) resulted in a CD4 T-cell response, indicating a lack of deletional tolerance. However, presentation by intraislet antigen-presenting cells (APC) to the T cells was not detectable in prediabetic mice. Presentation by islet APC was found only in islets of mice with active diabetes. In accordance, a culture assay indicated the weak transfer of ZnT8 reactivity from insulinomas or primary β-cells to APC for presentation to T cells. A T cell directed to one peptide (345-359) resulted in the transfer of diabetes, but only in conditions in which the recipient NOD mice or NOD.Rag1(-/-) mice were subjected to light irradiation. In late diabetic NOD mice, CD4 T cells were found as well as a weak antibody response. We conclude that in NOD mice, ZnT8 is a minor diabetogenic antigen that can participate in diabetes in conditions in which the islet is first made receptive to immunological insults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak K Nayak
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Boris Calderon
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Anthony N Vomund
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Emil R Unanue
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
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31
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Kolypetri P, Carayanniotis K, Rahman S, Georghiou PE, Magafa V, Cordopatis P, Carayanniotis G. The Thyroxine-Containing Thyroglobulin Peptide (aa 2549–2560) Is a Target Epitope in Iodide-Accelerated Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 193:96-101. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1400561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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32
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Abstract
This paper reviews the presentation of peptides by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules in the autoimmune diabetes of the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse. Islets of Langerhans contain antigen-presenting cells that capture the proteins and peptides of the beta cells' secretory granules. Peptides bound to I-A(g7), the unique MHC class II molecule of NOD mice, are presented in islets and in pancreatic lymph nodes. The various beta cell-derived peptides interact with selected CD4 T cells to cause inflammation and beta cell demise. Many autoreactive T cells are found in NOD mice, but not all have a major role in the initiation of the autoimmune process. I emphasize here the evidence pointing to insulin autoreactivity as a seminal component in the diabetogenic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil R Unanue
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110;
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Calderon B, Carrero JA, Unanue ER. The central role of antigen presentation in islets of Langerhans in autoimmune diabetes. Curr Opin Immunol 2014; 26:32-40. [PMID: 24556398 PMCID: PMC4118295 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2013.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2013] [Revised: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The islets of Langerhans normally contain resident antigen presenting cells (APCs), which in normal conditions are mostly represented by macrophages, with a few dendritic cells (DC). We present here the features of these islet APCs, making the point that they have a supportive function in islet homeostasis. Islet APCs express high levels of major histocompatibility complexes (MHC) molecules on their surfaces and are highly active in antigen presentation in the autoimmune diabetes of the NOD mouse: they do this by presenting peptides derived from molecules of the β-cells. These APCs also are instrumental in the localization of diabetogenic T cells into islets. The islet APC present exogenous peptides derived from secretory granules of the β-cell, giving rise to unique peptide-MHC complexes (pMHC) that activate those non-conventional T cells that bypass thymus selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Calderon
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Immunology, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Javier A Carrero
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Immunology, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Emil R Unanue
- Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Immunology, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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34
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Perera J, Liu X, Zhou Y, Joseph NE, Meng L, Turner JR, Huang H. Insufficient autoantigen presentation and failure of tolerance in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 65:2847-56. [PMID: 23840022 DOI: 10.1002/art.38085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In the K/BxN mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, T cells reactive for the self antigen glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) escape negative selection even though GPI expression is ubiquitous. We sought to determine whether insufficient GPI presentation could account for the failure of negative selection and for the development of arthritis. METHODS To increase the antigen presentation of GPI, we generated transgenic mice expressing a membrane-bound form of GPI (mGPI) and crossed them with K/BxN mice. A monoclonal antibody specific for the α-chain of the KRN T cell receptor was generated to examine the fate of GPI-specific T cells. RESULTS The mGPI-transgenic mice presented GPI more efficiently and showed a dramatic increase in negative selection and an inhibition of arthritis. Interestingly, thymic negative selection remained incomplete in these mice, and the escaped autoreactive T cells were anergic in the peripheral lymphoid organs, suggesting that enhanced antigen presentation also induces peripheral tolerance. Despite this apparent tolerance induction toward GPI, these mice developed a chronic wasting disease, characterized by colonic inflammation with epithelial dysplasia, as well as a dramatic reduction in Treg cells. CONCLUSION These data indicate that insufficient autoantigen expression or presentation results in defects of both central and peripheral tolerance in the K/BxN mice. Our findings also support the idea that insufficient autoantigen levels may underlie the development of autoimmunity.
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35
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Mohan JF, Calderon B, Anderson MS, Unanue ER. Pathogenic CD4⁺ T cells recognizing an unstable peptide of insulin are directly recruited into islets bypassing local lymph nodes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 210:2403-14. [PMID: 24127484 PMCID: PMC3804950 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20130582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In the nonobese diabetic mouse, a predominant component of the autoreactive CD4(+) T cell repertoire is directed against the B:9-23 segment of the insulin B chain. Previous studies established that the majority of insulin-reactive T cells specifically recognize a weak peptide-MHC binding register within the B:9-23 segment, that to the 12-20 register. These T cells are uniquely stimulated when the B:9-23 peptide, but not the insulin protein, is offered to antigen presenting cells (APCs). Here, we report on a T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mouse (8F10) that offers important new insights into the biology of these unconventional T cells. Many of the 8F10 CD4(+) T cells escaped negative selection and were highly pathogenic. The T cells were directly recruited into islets of Langerhans, where they established contact with resident intra-islet APCs. Immunogenic insulin had to be presented in order for the T cells to localize and cause disease. These T cells bypassed an initial priming stage in the pancreatic lymph node thought to precede islet T cell entry. 8F10 T cells induced the production of antiinsulin antibodies and islets contained immunoglobulin (IgG) deposited on β cells and along the vessel walls.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Mohan
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
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36
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Therapeutic opportunities for manipulating T(Reg) cells in autoimmunity and cancer. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2013; 12:51-63. [PMID: 23274471 DOI: 10.1038/nrd3683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3)-expressing regulatory T (T(Reg)) cells have a pivotal role in the regulation of immune responses and in the maintenance of immunological self-tolerance. These cells have emerged as attractive targets for strategies that allow the steering of immune responses in desired directions - arming the immune system to destroy infected cells and cancer cells or downregulating it to limit tissue destruction in autoimmunity. Efforts to understand the generation, activation and function of T(Reg) cells should permit the development of therapeutics for reprogramming the immune system. In this Review, we discuss insights into the generation of T(Reg) cells, their involvement in disease and the molecular basis of the dominant tolerance exerted by FOXP3(+) T(Reg) cells that could permit their safe and specific manipulation in humans.
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37
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Herold KC, Vignali DAA, Cooke A, Bluestone JA. Type 1 diabetes: translating mechanistic observations into effective clinical outcomes. Nat Rev Immunol 2013; 13:243-56. [PMID: 23524461 PMCID: PMC4172461 DOI: 10.1038/nri3422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains an important health problem, particularly in western countries, where the incidence has been increasing in younger children. In 1986, Eisenbarth described T1D as a chronic autoimmune disease. Work over the past three-and-a-half decades has identified many of the genetic, immunological and environmental factors that are involved in the disease and have led to hypotheses concerning its pathogenesis. Clinical trials have been conducted to test these hypotheses but have had mixed results. Here, we discuss the findings that have led to our current concepts of the disease mechanisms involved in T1D and the clinical studies promoted by these studies. The findings from preclinical and clinical studies support the original proposed model for how T1D develops but have also suggested that this disease is more complex than was originally thought and will require broader treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevan C Herold
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
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38
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Graham KL, Sutherland RM, Mannering SI, Zhao Y, Chee J, Krishnamurthy B, Thomas HE, Lew AM, Kay TWH. Pathogenic mechanisms in type 1 diabetes: the islet is both target and driver of disease. Rev Diabet Stud 2012; 9:148-68. [PMID: 23804258 DOI: 10.1900/rds.2012.9.148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes have occurred in all steps of the disease. This review outlines the pathogenic mechanisms utilized by the immune system to mediate destruction of the pancreatic beta-cells. The autoimmune response against beta-cells appears to begin in the pancreatic lymph node where T cells, which have escaped negative selection in the thymus, first meet beta-cell antigens presented by dendritic cells. Proinsulin is an important antigen in early diabetes. T cells migrate to the islets via the circulation and establish insulitis initially around the islets. T cells within insulitis are specific for islet antigens rather than bystanders. Pathogenic CD4⁺ T cells may recognize peptides from proinsulin which are produced locally within the islet. CD8⁺ T cells differentiate into effector T cells in islets and then kill beta-cells, primarily via the perforin-granzyme pathway. Cytokines do not appear to be important cytotoxic molecules in vivo. Maturation of the immune response within the islet is now understood to contribute to diabetes, and highlights the islet as both driver and target of the disease. The majority of our knowledge of these pathogenic processes is derived from the NOD mouse model, although some processes are mirrored in the human disease. However, more work is required to translate the data from the NOD mouse to our understanding of human diabetes pathogenesis. New technology, especially MHC tetramers and modern imaging, will enhance our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L Graham
- St. Vincent´s Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
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39
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Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The disease is characterized by the loss of self-tolerance to the insulin-producing β-cells in the pancreas, the destruction of β-cells, and finally the development of chronic hyperglycemia at diagnosis of T1D. Its incidence and prevalence are rising dramatically, highlighting the need for immunotherapeutic strategies able to prevent or treat the disease in a safe and specific manner. Immunotherapeutic strategies are being developed, and aim to restore immunological self-tolerance, thereby limiting unwanted immunity and β-cell destruction. Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells exert essential functions to maintain and restore immunological self-tolerance. The identification of the transcription factor Foxp3 as the specification factor for the Treg cell lineage facilitated our understanding in the biology of Treg generation and function. This review highlights the current understanding of immunotherapeutic approaches as preventative and curative measures for autoimmune T1D. It includes an overview on early immunointervention studies, which made use of general immunosuppressive agents such as cyclosporin A, followed by a discussion on newly emerging clinical trials. Besides non-antigen-specific therapies, particular attention is given to antigen-specific generation of Foxp3+ Treg cells and their potential use to limit autoimmunity such as T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benno Weigmann
- Research Campus of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Medical Clinic I, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
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40
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Weigmann B, Daniel C. Treg vaccination with a strong-agonistic insulin mimetope. Curr Diab Rep 2012; 12:463-70. [PMID: 22763731 DOI: 10.1007/s11892-012-0295-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells serve as a vital mechanism of negative regulation to maintain immunological self-tolerance thereby suppressing immune-mediated inflammation. The identification of the transcription factor Foxp3 as the specification factor for the Treg cell lineage facilitated our understanding in the biology of Treg generation and function. In the past, we carefully studied the extrathymic conversion of naive CD4(+) T cells into Foxp3(+) expressing Treg cells and found that this process is most efficient upon subimmunogenic supply of strong-agonistic T cell receptor (TCR) ligands avoiding activation of antigen-presenting and T cells. In contrast, weak-agonistic antigens fail to efficiently induce stable Foxp3(+) Treg cells irrespective of the applied dose. Here, we discuss the specific requirements for the establishment of Treg vaccination protocols to interfere with autoimmunity such as Type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benno Weigmann
- Research Campus of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Medical Clinic I, 91052, Erlangen, Germany.
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41
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Mohan JF, Unanue ER. Unconventional recognition of peptides by T cells and the implications for autoimmunity. Nat Rev Immunol 2012; 12:721-8. [DOI: 10.1038/nri3294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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42
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Jindra PT, Tripathi S, Tian C, Iacomini J, Bagley J. Tolerance to MHC class II disparate allografts through genetic modification of bone marrow. Gene Ther 2012; 20:478-86. [PMID: 22833118 PMCID: PMC3651743 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2012.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Induction of molecular chimerism through genetic modification of bone marrow is a powerful tool for the induction of tolerance. Here we demonstrate for the first time that expression of an allogeneic MHC class II gene in autologous bone marrow cells, resulting in a state of molecular chimerism, induces tolerance to MHC class II mismatched skin grafts, a stringent test of transplant tolerance. Reconstitution of recipients with syngeneic bone marrow transduced with retrovirus encoding H-2I-Ab (I-Ab) resulted the long-term expression of the retroviral gene product on the surface of MHC class II-expressing bone marrow derived cell types. Mechanistically, tolerance was maintained by the presence of regulatory T cells, which prevented proliferation and cytokine production by alloreactive host T cells. Thus, the introduction of MHC class II genes into bone marrow derived cells through genetic engineering results in tolerance. These results have the potential to extend the clinical applicability of molecular chimerism for tolerance induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- P T Jindra
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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43
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Nakayama M, Castoe T, Sosinowski T, He X, Johnson K, Haskins K, Vignali DAA, Gapin L, Pollock D, Eisenbarth GS. Germline TRAV5D-4 T-cell receptor sequence targets a primary insulin peptide of NOD mice. Diabetes 2012; 61:857-65. [PMID: 22315318 PMCID: PMC3314349 DOI: 10.2337/db11-1113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
There is accumulating evidence that autoimmunity to insulin B chain peptide, amino acids 9-23 (insulin B:9-23), is central to development of autoimmune diabetes of the NOD mouse model. We hypothesized that enhanced susceptibility to autoimmune diabetes is the result of targeting of insulin by a T-cell receptor (TCR) sequence commonly encoded in the germline. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate that a particular Vα gene TRAV5D-4 with multiple junction sequences is sufficient to induce anti-islet autoimmunity by studying retrogenic mouse lines expressing α-chains with different Vα TRAV genes. Retrogenic NOD strains expressing Vα TRAV5D-4 α-chains with many different complementarity determining region (CDR) 3 sequences, even those derived from TCRs recognizing islet-irrelevant molecules, developed anti-insulin autoimmunity. Induction of insulin autoantibodies by TRAV5D-4 α-chains was abrogated by the mutation of insulin peptide B:9-23 or that of two amino acid residues in CDR1 and 2 of the TRAV5D-4. TRAV13-1, the human ortholog of murine TRAV5D-4, was also capable of inducing in vivo anti-insulin autoimmunity when combined with different murine CDR3 sequences. Targeting primary autoantigenic peptides by simple germline-encoded TCR motifs may underlie enhanced susceptibility to the development of autoimmune diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of ColoradoSchool of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
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44
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Mohan JF, Petzold SJ, Unanue ER. Register shifting of an insulin peptide-MHC complex allows diabetogenic T cells to escape thymic deletion. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 208:2375-83. [PMID: 22065673 PMCID: PMC3256971 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20111502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A single amino acid shift in TCR recognition of self peptide–MHC determines whether potentially diabetogenic CD4 T cells will be purged in the thymus or have the opportunity to undergo activation in the islets of Langerhans of mice. In nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, two sets of autoreactive CD4+ T cells recognize the B:9–23 segment of the insulin B chain. One set, type A, recognizes insulin presented by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). These T cells are highly deleted in the thymus. The second set, type B, does not recognize insulin protein but reacts with soluble B chain peptide. This set is not deleted in the thymus but is activated in the islets of Langerhans. In this study, we examine the specificity of these two types of T cells. The protein-reactive set recognizes the stretch of residues 13–21 of the insulin B chain. The set reactive to peptide only recognizes the stretch from residues 12–20. A single amino acid shift of the B chain peptide bound to I-Ag7 determines whether T cells recognize peptides generated by the processing of insulin, and consequently their escape from thymic purging. Biochemical experiments indicate that peptides bound in the 13–21 register interact more favorably with I-Ag7 than peptides that bind in the 12–20 register. Thus, self-reactive T cells can become pathogenic in the target organ where high concentrations of antigen and/or differences in intracellular processing present peptides in registers distinct from those found in the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Mohan
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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45
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DiLorenzo TP. Multiple antigens versus single major antigen in type 1 diabetes: arguing for multiple antigens. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2011; 27:778-83. [PMID: 22069259 DOI: 10.1002/dmrr.1251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Our recent review of the literature revealed that approximately 20 antigens are now known to be targeted by T cells in the NOD mouse model of the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes. Of these, insulin has received considerable attention and has been described by some in the research community as an 'initiating' or 'single major' antigen in the disease. Insulin may indeed be worthy of these titles, at least in NOD mice and in the context of the particular major histocompatibility complex molecules expressed in this strain. However, here we present arguments in favour of viewing type 1 diabetes as a disease in which multiple antigens should be considered, rather than just one. In our view, other antigens may prove to be more worthy of these titles in humans, and the major histocompatibility complex molecules expressed may well be a determining factor. Furthermore, even if insulin is 'the initiating antigen' in type 1 diabetes, multiple pathogenic specificities are known to exist even during the prediabetic period and it is at our peril that we ignore them. The recent discovery of novel beta-cell antigens, e.g. ZnT8 and chromogranin A, has taught us that we still have much to learn about the targets of the autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes. Increased knowledge will promote a clearer picture of disease pathogenesis and will better position the field to be successful in its translational goals of immune monitoring and disease prevention and reversal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa P DiLorenzo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
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46
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Abstract
Type 1 diabetes is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease against pancreatic beta cells. T cells target various antigens such as insulin, chromogranin A, glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein. Elimination of insulin dramatically prevents diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model and response to insulin occurs prior to that to other antigens. These findings suggest that insulin is a target antigen at the early stage of the disease and is likely to be essential to cause anti-islet autoimmunity in NOD mice. In this review, we discuss whether insulin is truly essential and is only the single essential autoantigen for NOD mice and potentially for man. Although the ultimate principle is still being addressed, it is certain that T-cell response to insulin is a major check point to develop type 1 diabetes in NOD mice. Given multiple similarities between diabetes of NOD mice and man, targeting insulin and insulin-reactive T cells may provide opportunities to develop robust immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
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47
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Yamaguchi Y, Takayanagi A, Chen J, Sakai K, Kudoh J, Shimizu N. Mouse thymic epithelial cell lines expressing "Aire" and peripheral tissue-specific antigens reproduce in vitro negative selection of T cells. Exp Cell Res 2011; 317:2019-30. [PMID: 21683072 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2011.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2011] [Revised: 04/30/2011] [Accepted: 05/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In the human thymus, AIRE (autoimmune regulator) gene is expressed in a very limited type of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and no cognate cell lines are available, hence the molecular analysis of AIRE gene function has been difficult. To improve this situation, we attempted to isolate Aire-expressing cells and established three cell lines (Aire⁺TEC1, Aire⁺TEC2, Aire⁺DC) from the abnormally enlarged thymus, which was developed in the transgenic mice expressing SV40 T-antigen driven by the mouse Aire gene promoter. When these Aire⁺ cell lines were co-cultured with fresh thymocytes, they adhered to the majority of thymocytes and induced apoptosis as if negative selection of T-cells in the thymus is occurring in vitro. Further analysis revealed that these Aire⁺ cell lines are derived from mTECs and exhibit characteristic natures of "antigen presenting cells" including several distinct abilities: to express a variety of peripheral tissue-specific antigens, to produce immunoproteasome and immunological synapse, and to express some of TNFSFs (tumor necrosis factor super families). Thus, the newly established Aire⁺ cell lines will be invaluable for the further detailed analysis of AIRE gene function in the central tolerance of immunity and autoimmune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Yamaguchi
- Advanced Research Center for Genome Super Power, Keio University, 2 Okubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-2611, Japan
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48
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Alderuccio F, Nasa Z, Chung J, Ko HJ, Chan J, Toh BH. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy as a Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases. Mol Pharm 2011; 8:1488-94. [DOI: 10.1021/mp2001523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Alderuccio
- Department of Immunology, Monash Central Clinical School, and ‡Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Zeyad Nasa
- Department of Immunology, Monash Central Clinical School, and ‡Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jieyu Chung
- Department of Immunology, Monash Central Clinical School, and ‡Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hyun-Ja Ko
- Department of Immunology, Monash Central Clinical School, and ‡Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - James Chan
- Department of Immunology, Monash Central Clinical School, and ‡Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ban-Hock Toh
- Department of Immunology, Monash Central Clinical School, and ‡Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
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49
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Daniel C, von Boehmer H. Extra-thymically induced regulatory T cells: do they have potential in disease prevention? Semin Immunol 2011; 23:410-7. [PMID: 21724411 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2011.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2011] [Accepted: 06/07/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Fopx3(+) Treg safeguard against autoimmune diseases and immune pathology. The extrathymic conversion of naïve T cells into Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells can be achieved in vivo by the delivery of strong-agonist ligands under subimmunogenic conditions. Tolerogenic vaccination with strong-agonist mimetopes of self-antigen to promote self-antigen specific tolerance may represent the most specific and safest means of preventing autoimmunity. This review discusses the requirements for induction of dominant tolerance exerted by Foxp3(+) Tregs in autoimmunity with special emphasis on their impact to interfere with T1D. The future goals are the understanding of self-non-self discrimination at the cellular and molecular level, which should then enable investigators to develop clinical vaccination protocols that specifically interfere with unwanted immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Daniel
- Laboratory of Lymphocyte Biology, Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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50
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Daniel C, Weigmann B, Bronson R, von Boehmer H. Prevention of type 1 diabetes in mice by tolerogenic vaccination with a strong agonist insulin mimetope. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 208:1501-10. [PMID: 21690251 PMCID: PMC3135372 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20110574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Subimmunogenic vaccination with an agonist mimetope of insulin converts naive T cells into regulatory T cells and prevents type 1 diabetes in NOD mice. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the destruction of insulin-secreting pancreatic β cells by autoreactive T cells. Insulin is an essential target of the autoimmune attack. Insulin epitopes recognized by diabetogenic T cell clones bind poorly to the class II I-Ag7 molecules of nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, which results in weak agonistic activity of the peptide MHC complex. Here, we describe a strongly agonistic insulin mimetope that effectively converts naive T cells into Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in vivo, thereby completely preventing T1D in NOD mice. In contrast, natural insulin epitopes are ineffective. Subimmunogenic vaccination with strongly agonistic insulin mimetopes might represent a novel strategy to prevent T1D in humans at risk for the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Daniel
- Laboratory of Lymphocyte Biology, Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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