HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Puertas, M. C. Articles by Verdaguer, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Puertas, M. C. Articles by Verdaguer, J. Social Bookmarking                What's this?

Phenotype and Functional Characteristics of Islet-Infiltrating B-Cells Suggest the Existence of Immune Regulatory Mechanisms in Islet Milieu

¹ Laboratory of Immunobiology for Research and Diagnosis (LIRAD) and Center for Transfusion and Tissue Bank (BST), Institut d'Investigacio Germans Trias i Pujol, Carretera de Can Ruti, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
² Immunology Unit, Department of Ciencies Mediques Basiques, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Joan Verdaguer, Unit of Immunology, Departament de Ciencies Mediques Basiques, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Lleida, Carrer Montserrat Roig 2, 25008 Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. E-mail: joan.verdaguer{at}cmb.udl.es

Abbreviations: APC, antigen-presenting cell; CFSE, carboxy-fluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester; CTL, cytotoxic T-cell; FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate; IFN-, -interferon; IL, interleukin; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; mAb, monoclonal antibody; MHC, major histocompatibility complex

B-cells participate in the autoimmune response that precedes the onset of type 1 diabetes, but how these cells contribute to disease progression is unclear. In this study, we analyzed the phenotype and functional characteristics of islet-infiltrating B-cells in the diabetes-prone NOD mouse and in the insulitis-prone but diabetes-resistant (NODxNOR)F1 mouse. The results indicate that B-cells accumulate in the islets of both mice influenced by sex traits. Phenotypically and functionally, these B-cells are highly affected by the islet inflammatory milieu, which may keep them in a silenced status. Moreover, although islet-infiltrating B-cells seem to be antigen experienced, they can only induce islet-infiltrating T-cell proliferation when they act as accessory cells. Thus, these results strongly suggest that islet-infiltrating B-cells do not activate islet-infiltrating T-cells in situ, although they may affect the progression of the disease otherwise.

CiteULike    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. C. Puertas, J. Carrillo, X. Pastor, R. M. Ampudia, R. Planas, A. Alba, R. Bruno, R. Pujol-Borrell, J. M. Estanyol, M. Vives-Pi, et al. Peripherin Is a Relevant Neuroendocrine Autoantigen Recognized by Islet-Infiltrating B Lymphocytes J. Immunol., May 15, 2007; 178(10): 6533 - 6539. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]