Adoptive transfer of autoimmune diabetes and thyroiditis to athymic rats
Authors
McKeever, UnaMordes, John P.
Greiner, Dale L.
Appel, Michael C.
Rozing, Jan
Handler, Eugene S.
Rossini, Aldo A.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and MetabolismDepartment of Medicine, Division of Diabetes
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
1990-10-01Keywords
AnimalsAutoimmune Diseases
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental
*Immunotherapy, Adoptive
Lymph Nodes
Lymphocyte Activation
Rats
Rats, Inbred BB
Rats, Inbred Strains
Spleen
Thyroiditis, Autoimmune
Life Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
We describe the induction of autoimmune diabetes, insulitis, and thyroiditis in athymic rats following injections of major histocompatibility complex compatible spleen cells. Lymphocytes with these capabilities were found in normal rats of the YOS, WAG, PVG, and diabetes-resistant BB strains, and in diabetes-prone BB rats. Adoptive transfer was facilitated by prior in vivo depletion of RT6.1+ regulatory T cells and in vitro mitogen activation of donor spleen cells. By RT6 depleting diabetes-resistant donors and using nude recipients, transfer of diabetes and thyroiditis was accomplished by using fresh, unstimulated spleen cells. The data suggest that organ-specific autoreactive cells may be present to various degrees but suppressed to a variable extent in many rat strains. The equilibrium between autoreactive and regulatory cells appears to determine the expression of autoimmunity.Source
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Oct;87(19):7618-22.