Erschienen in:
01.07.2009 | Article
Prevention of spontaneous immune-mediated diabetes development in the LEW.1AR1-iddm rat by selective CD8+ T cell transfer is associated with a cytokine shift in the pancreas-draining lymph nodes
verfasst von:
T. Arndt, D. Wedekind, H. Weiss, M. Tiedge, S. Lenzen, H.-J. Hedrich, A. Jörns
Erschienen in:
Diabetologia
|
Ausgabe 7/2009
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Abstract
Aims/hypothesis
The LEW.1AR1-iddm rat is an animal model of spontaneous type 1 diabetes mellitus. This study analysed how adoptive transfer of selective T cell subpopulations affects the incidence of diabetes.
Methods
CD4+ or CD8+ T cells were isolated from diabetic LEW.1AR1-iddm rats or diabetes-resistant LEW.1AR1 rats. Cells were selectively transferred into athymic LEW.1AR1-Whn
rnu
or prediabetic LEW.1AR1-iddm rats. The animals were monitored for blood glucose, islet infiltration and immune cell composition of pancreas-draining lymph nodes.
Results
After adoptive transfer of CD4+ T cells from diabetic LEW.1AR1-iddm rats into athymic LEW.1AR1-Whn
rnu
rats, 50% of the recipients developed diabetes. Transfer of CD8+ T cells failed to induce diabetes. Only 10% of the athymic recipients became diabetic after co-transfer of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Adoptive transfer of CD8+ T cells from LEW.1AR1 or diabetic LEW.1AR1-iddm rats into prediabetic LEW.1AR1-iddm rats significantly reduced the incidence of diabetes. In protected normoglycaemic animals regulatory CD8+/CD25+ and CD4+/CD25+ T cell subpopulations that were also FOXP3-positive accumulated in the pancreas-draining lymph nodes. In this lymphatic organ, gene expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines was significantly higher than in diabetic rats.
Conclusions/interpretation
Our results show that adoptive transfer of CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells from diabetic LEW.1AR1-iddm rats induced diabetes development. Importantly, CD8+ T cells from diabetic LEW.1AR1-iddm rats and diabetes-resistant LEW.1AR1 rats provided protection against beta cell destruction. The accumulation of regulatory T cells in the pancreas-draining lymph nodes from protected rats indicates that transferred CD8+ T cells may have beneficial effects in the control of beta cell autoimmunity.