asialo-gm1-ganglioside and Diabetes-Mellitus--Type-1

The destruction of beta cells by the islet infiltrating lymphocytes causes type 1 diabetes. Transgenic mice models expressing interferon (IFN)-beta in beta cells, in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) strain and in a diabetes-free, major histocompatibility complex-matched, homologous strain, the non-obese resistant (NOR) mice, developed accelerated type 1 diabetes after 3 weeks of age. Our aim was to determine if natural killer (NK) cells could affect the acceleration of the disease. We determined the amount of NK cells in the pancreas, spleen and lymph nodes from NOD rat insulin promoter (RIP)-IFN-beta mice. Pancreatic cytokines were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and protein arrays. To confirm the relevance of NK cells in the acceleration of autoimmune diabetes this subset was depleted with anti-asialo GM1 antibodies. An increase of intrapancreatic NK cells characterized the accelerated onset of diabetes both in NOD and NOR RIP-IFN-beta transgenic models. Cytokines involved in NK function and migration were found to be hyperexpressed in the pancreas from accelerated diabetic mice. Interestingly, the depletion of NK cells in vivo abolished completely the acceleration of diabetes. NK cells connect innate to adaptive immunity and might play a role in autoimmunity. We report here that NK cells are required critically in the pancreas for accelerated diabetes. This model links inflammation to acceleration of beta cell-specific autoimmunity mediated by NK cells.

Topics: Animals; B-Lymphocytes; Cytokines; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Progression; G(M1) Ganglioside; Interferon-beta; Islets of Langerhans; Killer Cells, Natural; Lymph Nodes; Lymphocyte Subsets; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD

To elucidate the role of natural killer (NK) cells in the pathogenesis of diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse, we examined whether or not cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes occurs in NOD mice intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with anti-asialo GM1 antibody. Two weeks after a single intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide, none of the 24 NOD mice which had previously been treated with antiasialo GM1 antibody, 2-3 times per week for either 2 or 3 weeks, had developed indications of diabetes such as glycosuria or a high plasma glucose level. On the other hand, signs of diabetes were found in 10 of 24 control NOD mice injected with normal rabbit Ig instead of anti-asialo GM1 antibody (p less than 0.01). The NK cell activities of spleen cells from anti-asialo GM1 antibody-treated mice were significantly lower than those of control mice (p less than 0.01). Flowcytometry analysis demonstrated that anti-asialo GM1 antibody-positive cells had disappeared from the spleens of anti-asialo GM1 antibody-injected mice but no suppression of CD8+ and CD4+ cells could be demonstrated. These observations suggest that NK cells are involved in the development of diabetes in NOD mice.

Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; Blood Glucose; Cyclophosphamide; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Female; G(M1) Ganglioside; Islets of Langerhans; Killer Cells, Natural; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Spleen