Immunoregulation of diabetes
By manipulating the cells that suppress the immune response, researchers have developed a new approach to preventing diabetes in mice. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system attacks healthy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. In the 20 November issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Naumov et al. report that CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells prevent diabetes in mice. iNKT cells regulate the immune response to ensure that only diseased tissue is targeted for attack. The authors found that the relative numbers of iNKT cells from the pancreatic islets decrease at the time of conversion from peri-insulitis to invasive insulitis in the NOD mouse model of diabetes. Conversely, NOD mice that had a low incidence of diabetes had an increased number of iNKT cells. iNKT cells are activated by the lipid α-galactosylceramide, which is presented to them by CD1d on the surface of dendritic cells. Administration of α-galactosylceramide prevented diabetes in NOD female mice, and also led to accumulation of iNKT cells and dendritic cells in pancreatic lymph nodes. They suggest that administration of α-galactosylceramide or other means of activating NKT cells could be preventive for people with a genetic risk of developing diabetes.
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