Beta-cell autoimmunity

• Published in: Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) Vol. 933; p. 265
• Main Authors: Fuchs, Yannick F, Adler, Kerstin, Bonifacio, Ezio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2012
• Subjects: Animals; Autoantibodies - immunology; Autoimmunity; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - cytology; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - immunology; Insulin - immunology; Insulin Antibodies - immunology; Insulin-Secreting Cells - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Radioligand Assay - methods
• ISSN: 1940-6029
• DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-068-7_17

Beta cell destruction in autoimmune diabetes is accompanied by the presence of autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells against beta cell antigens. Autoantibodies to insulin are predictive of future diabetes in man and in the non-obese diabetic mouse model. Furthermore, the detection of peripheral autoreactive CD8(+) T cells in this mouse model is indicative of beta cell killing and correlates with the development of diabetes. We describe two protocols that are helpful for the detection of beta-cell autoimmunity in mice. The first protocol describes the detection of insulin-specific autoantibodies using a radio-binding assay. The other is a general CD8(+) T cell ELISpot protocol for the detection of peptide-specific responses of CD8(+) T cells from secondary lymphoid organs or pancreatic islets.