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) All Versions of this Article: db07-0416v1 56/9/2400    most recent 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 In't Veld, P. Articles by Pipeleers, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by In't Veld, P. Articles by Pipeleers, D. Social Bookmarking                What's this?

Screening for Insulitis in Adult Autoantibody-Positive Organ Donors

From the Diabetes Research Center, Brussels Free University and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Center for Beta Cell Therapy in Diabetes, Brussels, Belgium

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Peter In't Veld, PhD, Department of Pathology, Brussels Free University, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium. E-mail: intveld{at}vub.ac.be

Abbreviations: aAb, autoantibody; GADA, glutamate decarboxylase autoantibody; IAA, insulin autoantibody; IA-2A, insulinoma-associated protein 2 autoantibody; ICA, islet cell antibody; LCA, leukocyte common antigen

Antibodies against islet cell antigens are used as predictive markers of type 1 diabetes, but it is unknown whether they reflect an ongoing autoimmune process in islet tissue. We investigated whether organs from adult donors that are positive for autoantibodies (aAbs) against islet cell antigens exhibit insulitis and/or a reduced ß-cell mass. Serum from 1,507 organ donors (age 25–60 years) was analyzed for islet cell antibodies (ICAs), glutamate decarboxylase aAbs (GADAs), insulinoma-associated protein 2 aAbs (IA-2As), and insulin aAbs. Tissue from the 62 aAb⁺ donors (4.1%) and from matched controls was examined for the presence of insulitis and for the relative area of insulin⁺ cells. Insulitis was detected in two cases; it was found in 3 and 9% of the islets and consisted of CD3⁺/CD8⁺ T-cells and CD68⁺ macrophages; in one case, it was associated with insulin⁺ cells that expressed the proliferation marker Ki67. Both subjects belonged to the subgroup of three donors with positivity for ICA, GADA, and IA-2-Ab and for the susceptible HLA-DQ genotype. Comparison of relative ß-cell area in aAb⁺ and aAb^– donors did not show a significant difference. Insulitis was found in two of the three cases that presented at least three aAbs but in none of the other 59 antibody⁺ subjects or 62 matched controls. It was only detected in <10% of the islets, some of which presented signs of ß-cell proliferation. No decrease in ß-cell mass was detected in cases with insulitis or in the group of antibody⁺ subjects.

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

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. O. Roep Islet Autoreactive CD8 T-cells in Type 1 Diabetes: Licensed to Kill? Diabetes, May 1, 2008; 57(5): 1156 - 1156. [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Fousteri and M. von Herrath First-Trimester Human Fetal Pancreas Transplantation for Type 1 Diabetes Treatment: An Alternative Approach for Achieving Long-Term Graft Survival? Diabetes, March 1, 2008; 57(3): 525 - 526. [Full Text] [PDF]