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Conserved T cell receptor alpha-chain induces insulin autoantibodies.

DERC - University of Colorado

Authors

Kobayashi M, Jasinski J, Liu E, Li M, Miao D, Zhang L, Yu L, Nakayama M, Eisenbarth GS,

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,2008

Abstract

A fundamental question is what are the molecular determinants that lead to spontaneous preferential targeting of specific autoantigens in autoimmune diseases, such as the insulin B:9-23 peptide sequence in type 1 diabetes. Anti-insulin B:9-23 T cell clones isolated from prediabetic NOD islets have a conserved Valpha-segment/Jalpha-segment, but no conservation of the alpha-chain N region and no conservation of the Vbeta-chain. Here, we show that the conserved T cell receptor alpha-chain generates insulin autoantibodies when transgenically or retrogenically introduced into mice without its corresponding Vbeta. We suggest that a major part of the mystery as to why islet autoimmunity develops relates to recognition of a primary insulin peptide by a conserved alpha chain T cell receptor.