| First Author | Wong FS | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | Diabetes | Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 1156-64 |
| PubMed ID | 19208910 | Mgi Jnum | J:151124 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4352806 | Doi | 10.2337/db08-0800 |
| Citation | Wong FS, et al. (2009) Activation of insulin-reactive CD8 T-cells for development of autoimmune diabetes. Diabetes 58(5):1156-64 |
| abstractText | OBJECTIVE: We have previously reported a highly diabetogenic CD8 T-cell clone, G9C8, in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse, specific to low-avidity insulin peptide B15-23, and cells responsive to this antigen are among the earliest islet infiltrates. We aimed to study the selection, activation, and development of the diabetogenic capacity of these insulin-reactive T-cells. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We generated a T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mouse expressing the cloned TCR Valpha18/Vbeta6 receptor of the G9C8 insulin-reactive CD8 T-cell clone. The mice were crossed to TCRCalpha-/- mice so that the majority of the T-cells expressed the clonotypic TCR, and the phenotype and function of the cells was investigated. RESULTS: There was good selection of CD8 T-cells with a predominance of CD8 single-positive thymocytes, in spite of thymic insulin expression. Peripheral lymph node T-cells had a naive phenotype (CD44lo, CD62Lhi) and proliferated to insulin B15-23 peptide and to insulin. These cells produced interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in response to insulin peptide and were cytotoxic to insulin peptide-coated targets. In vivo, the TCR transgenic mice developed insulitis but not spontaneous diabetes. However, the mice developed diabetes on immunization, and the activated transgenic T-cells were able to transfer diabetes to immunodeficient NOD.scid mice. CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune CD8 T-cells responding to a low-affinity insulin B-chain peptide escape from thymic negative selection and require activation in vivo to cause diabetes. |
