Risk Factors for Type 1 Diabetes Recurrence in Immunosuppressed Recipients of Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplants.

Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who are recipients of pancreas transplants are believed to rarely develop T1D recurrence in the allograft if effectively immunosuppressed. We evaluated a cohort of 223 recipients of simultaneous pancreas-kidney allografts for T1D recurrence and its risk factors. With long-term follow-up, recurrence was observed in approximately 7% of patients. Comparing the therapeutic regimens employed in this cohort over time, lack of induction therapy was associated with recurrence, but this occurs even with the current regimen, which includes induction; there was no influence of maintenance regimens. Longitudinal testing for T1D-associated autoantibodies identified autoantibody positivity, number of autoantibodies, and autoantibody conversion after transplantation as critical risk factors. Autoantibodies to the zinc transporter 8 had the strongest and closest temporal association with recurrence, which was not explained by genetically encoded amino acid sequence donor-recipient mismatches for this autoantigen. Genetic risk factors included the presence of the T1D-predisposing HLA-DR3/DR4 genotype in the recipient and donor-recipient sharing of HLA-DR alleles, especially HLA-DR3. Thus, T1D recurrence is not uncommon and is developing in patients treated with current immunosuppression. The risk factors identified in this study can be assessed in the transplant clinic to identify recurrent T1D and may lead to therapeutic advances.

In antibody-positive first-degree relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes, HLA-A*24 and HLA-B*18, but not HLA-B*39, are predictors of impending diabetes with distinct HLA-DQ interactions.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Secondary type 1 diabetes prevention trials require selection of participants with impending diabetes. HLA-A and -B alleles have been reported to promote disease progression. We investigated whether typing for HLA-B*18 and -B*39 may complement screening for HLA-DQ8, -DQ2 and -A*24 and autoantibodies (Abs) against islet antigen-2 (IA-2) and zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) for predicting rapid progression to hyperglycaemia. METHODS: A registry-based group of 288 persistently autoantibody-positive (Ab(+)) offspring/siblings (aged 0-39 years) of known patients (Ab(+) against insulin, GAD, IA-2 and/or ZnT8) were typed for HLA-DQ, -A and -B and monitored from the first Ab(+) sample for development of diabetes within 5 years. RESULTS: Unlike HLA-B*39, HLA-B*18 was associated with accelerated disease progression, but only in HLA-DQ2 carriers (p < 0.006). In contrast, HLA-A*24 promoted progression preferentially in the presence of HLA-DQ8 (p < 0.002). In HLA-DQ2- and/or HLA-DQ8-positive relatives (n = 246), HLA-B*18 predicted impending diabetes (p = 0.015) in addition to HLA-A*24, HLA-DQ2/DQ8 and positivity for IA-2A or ZnT8A (p ≤ 0.004). HLA-B*18 interacted significantly with HLA-DQ2/DQ8 and HLA-A*24 in the presence of IA-2 and/or ZnT8 autoantibodies (p ≤ 0.009). Additional testing for HLA-B*18 and -A*24 significantly improved screening sensitivity for rapid progressors, from 38% to 53%, among relatives at high Ab-inferred risk carrying at least one genetic risk factor. Screening for HLA-B*18 increased sensitivity for progressors, from 17% to 28%, among individuals carrying ≥ 3 risk markers conferring >85% 5 year risk. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These results reinforce the importance of HLA class I alleles in disease progression and quantify their added value for preparing prevention trials.

Screening for insulinoma antigen 2 and zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies: a cost-effective and age-independent strategy to identify rapid progressors to clinical onset among relatives of type 1 diabetic patients.

In first-degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients, we investigated whether diabetes risk assessment solely based on insulinoma antigen 2 (IA-2) and zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) antibody status (IA-2A, respectively, ZnT8A) is as effective as screening for three or four autoantibodies [antibodies against insulin (IAA), glutamate decarboxylase 65 kDa (GAD) glutamate decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) and IA-2A with or without ZnT8A] in identifying children, adolescents and adults who progress rapidly to diabetes (within 5 years). Antibodies were determined by radiobinding assays during follow-up of 6444 siblings and offspring aged 0-39 years at inclusion and recruited consecutively by the Belgian Diabetes Registry. We identified 394 persistently IAA(+) , GADA(+) , IA-2A(+) and/or ZnT8A(+) relatives (6·1%). After a median follow-up time of 52 months, 132 relatives developed type 1 diabetes. In each age category tested (0-9, 10-19 and 20-39 years) progression to diabetes was significantly quicker in the presence of IA-2A and/or ZnT8A than in their joint absence (P < 0·001). Progression rate was age-independent in IA-2A(+) and/or ZnT8A(+) relatives but decreased with age if only GADA and/or IAA were present (P = 0·008). In the age group mainly considered for immune interventions until now (10-39 years), screening for IA-2A and ZnT8A alone identified 78% of the rapid progressors (versus 75% if positive for ≥ 2 antibodies among IAA, GADA, IA-2A and ZnT8A or versus 62% without testing for ZnT8A). Screening for IA-2A and ZnT8A alone allows identification of the majority of rapidly progressing prediabetic siblings and offspring regardless of age and is more cost-effective to select participants for intervention trials than conventional screening.

Obesity and impaired prohormone processing associated with mutations in the human prohormone convertase 1 gene.

Human obesity has an inherited component, but in contrast to rodent obesity, precise genetic defects have yet to be defined. A mutation of carboxypeptidase E (CPE), an enzyme active in the processing and sorting of prohormones, causes obesity in the fat/fat mouse. We have previously described a women with extreme childhood obesity (Fig. 1), abnormal glucose homeostasis, hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, hypocortisolism and elevated plasma proinsulin and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) concentrations but a very low insulin level, suggestive of a defective prohormone processing by the endopeptidase, prohormone convertase 1 (PC1; ref. 4). We now report this proband to be a compound heterozygote for mutations in PC1. Gly-->Arg483 prevents processing of proPC1 and leads to its retention in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A-->C+4 of the intro-5 donor splice site causes skipping of exon 5 leading to loss of 26 residues, a frameshift and creation of a premature stop codon within the catalytic domain. PC1 acts proximally to CPE in the pathway of post-translational processing of prohormones and neuropeptides. In view of the similarity between the proband and the fat/fat mouse phenotype, we infer that molecular defects in prohormone conversion may represent a generic mechanism for obesity, common to humans and rodents.

An important minority of prediabetic first-degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients derives from seroconversion to persistent autoantibody positivity after 10 years of age.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The appearance of autoantibodies (Abs) before diabetes onset has mainly been studied in young children. However, most patients develop type 1 diabetes after the age of 15 years. In first-degree relatives aged under 40 years, we investigated the frequency of seroconversion to (persistent) Ab positivity, progression to diabetes and baseline characteristics of seroconverters according to age. METHODS: Abs against insulin (IAA), glutamate decarboxylase (GADA), insulinoma-associated protein 2 (IA-2A) and zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8A) were measured during follow-up of 7,170 first-degree relatives. RESULTS: We identified 379 (5.3%) relatives with positivity for IAA, GADA, IA-2A and/or ZnT8A (Ab(+)) at first sampling and 224 (3.1%) at a later time point. Most seroconversions occurred after the age of 10 years (63%). During follow-up, Abs persisted more often in relatives initially Ab(+) (76%) than in seroconverters (53%; p < 0.001). In both groups diabetes developed at a similar pace and almost exclusively with Ab persistence (136 of 139 prediabetic individuals). For both groups, progression was more rapid if Abs appeared before the age of 10 years. Baseline characteristics at seroconversion did not vary significantly according to age. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Seroconversion to (persistent) Ab(+) occurs regardless of age. Although the progression rate to diabetes is higher under age 10 years, later seroconverters (up to age 40 years) have similar characteristics when compared with age-matched initially Ab(+) relatives and generate an important minority of prediabetic relatives, warranting their identification and, eventually, enrolment in prevention trials.

Zinc transporter (ZnT)8(186-194) is an immunodominant CD8+ T cell epitope in HLA-A2+ type 1 diabetic patients.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Anti-zinc transporter (ZnT)8 autoantibodies are commonly detected in type 1 diabetic patients. We hypothesised that ZnT8 is also recognised by CD8(+) T cells and aimed to identify HLA-A2 (A*02:01)-restricted epitope targets. METHODS: Candidate epitopes were selected by ZnT8 plasmid DNA immunisation of HLA-A2/DQ8 transgenic mice and tested for T cell recognition in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of type 1 diabetic, type 2 diabetic and healthy participants by IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot. RESULTS: White HLA-A2(+) adults (83%) and children (60%) with type 1 diabetes displayed ZnT8-reactive CD8(+) T cells that recognised a single ZnT8(186-194) (VAANIVLTV) epitope. This ZnT8(186-194)-reactive fraction accounted for 50% to 53% of total ZnT8-specific CD8(+) T cells. Another sequence, ZnT8(153-161) (VVTGVLVYL), was recognised in 20% and 25% of type 1 diabetic adults and children, respectively. Both epitopes were type 1 diabetes-specific, being marginally recognised by type 2 diabetic and healthy participants (7-12% for ZnT8(186-194), 0% for ZnT8(153-161)). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: ZnT8-reactive CD8(+) T cells are predominantly directed against the ZnT8(186-194) epitope and are detected in a majority of type 1 diabetic patients. The exceptional immunodominance of ZnT8(186-194) may point to common environmental triggers precipitating beta cell autoimmunity.

Development of a novel autoantibody assay for autoimmune gastritis in type 1 diabetic individuals.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune atrophic body gastritis (ABG) and pernicious anaemia are prototypical, organ-specific autoimmune diseases whose prevalence in the general population is 2.0 vs 2 and 0.15-1%, respectively. The incidence of disease increases with age and is frequently associated with other autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Early diagnosis of ABG/pernicious anaemia is essential for the prevention and/or treatment before manifestations of chronic disease become irreversible. Parietal cell autoantibody detection via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is currently the most widely used biomarker of disease with diagnosis confirmed by subsequent immunohistochemistry via biopsy. METHODS: To improve the assay we designed a specific, molecularly defined radioimmunoprecipitation assay for early detection of ABG, targeting its major antigen, the gastric H+/K+ ATPase 4A subunit ATP4A. RESULTS: The major antigenic domain in ATP4A was tested against a panel of sera from new onset patients with T1DM which tested positive for the gold standard T1DM autoantibodies (IAA, IA2A, GAD65A, and ZnT8A). Significant immunoreactivity to ATP4A was measured (25%) while 6% of first-degree relatives of subjects with T1DM who were sero-negative for T1DM autoantigens were positive for ATP4A autoantibodies. ATP4A antibody prevalence increased with age of onset of T1DM, which is atypical of other T1DM autoantibodies. Immunoreactivity to ATP4A, unlike that of T1DM antigens, demonstrates a significant gender bias in newly diagnosed individuals with T1DM. CONCLUSION: Although the utility of the assay as a biomarker for T1DM is likely limited, it may serve as an improved indicator of ABG.

Predictive power of screening for antibodies against insulinoma-associated protein 2 beta (IA-2beta) and zinc transporter-8 to select first-degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients with risk of rapid progression to clinical onset of the disease: implications for prevention trials.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We investigated whether screening for insulinoma-associated protein (IA-2) beta (IA-2beta) autoantibodies (IA-2betaA) and zinc transporter-8 (ZnT8) autoantibodies (ZnT8A) improves identification of first-degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients with a high 5-year disease risk, which to date has been based on assays for insulin autoantibodies (IAA), GAD autoantibodies (GADA) and IA-2 autoantibodies (IA-2A). METHODS: IA-2betaA and ZnT8A (using a ZnT8 carboxy-terminal hybrid construct, CW-CR, carrying 325Arg and 325Trp) were determined by radiobinding assay in 409 IAA(+), GADA(+) and/or IA-2A(+) siblings or offspring (<40 years) of type 1 diabetic patients consecutively recruited by the Belgian Diabetes Registry. The median (interquartile range) age of the first-degree relatives was 12 (6-19) years. RESULTS: Of the first-degree relatives, 24% were IA-2A(+) (n = 97), 14% (n = 59) IA-2betaA(+) and 20% (n = 80) ZnT8A(+). IA-2betaA and ZnT8A were significantly (p < 0.001) associated with IA-2A and prediabetes (n = 86); in IA-2A(-) first-degree relatives (n = 312) the presence of IA-2betaA and ZnT8A was associated with an increased progression rate to diabetes (p < 0.001). Positivity for IA-2A and/or ZnT8A emerged as the most sensitive combination of two markers to identify first-degree relatives with a 5-year progression rate to diabetes of 45% (survival analysis) and as strongest predictor of diabetes (Cox regression analysis). Omission of first-degree relatives protected by HLA-DQ genotypes or maternal diabetes reduced the group to be followed from n = 409 to n = 246 (40%) with minor loss in the number of prediabetic IA-2A(+) or ZnT8A(+) first-degree relatives identified (n = 3). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: IA-2A(+) and/or ZnT8A(+) first-degree relatives may be the participants of choice in future secondary prevention trials with immunointervention in relatives of type 1 diabetic patients.

Cytokine-mediated induction of anti-apoptotic genes that are linked to nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB) signalling in human islets and in a mouse beta cell line.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The destruction of pancreatic beta cells leading to type 1 diabetes in humans is thought to occur mainly through apoptosis and necrosis induced by activated macrophages and T cells, and in which secreted cytokines play a significant role. The transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB) plays an important role in mediating the apoptotic action of cytokines in beta cells. We therefore sought to determine the changes in expression of genes modulated by NF-kappaB in human islets exposed to a combination of IL1beta, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma. METHODS: Microarray and gene set enrichment analysis were performed to investigate the global response of gene expression and pathways modulated in cultured human islets exposed to cytokines. Validation of a panel of NF-kappaB-regulated genes was performed by quantitative RT-PCR. The mechanism of induction of BIRC3 by cytokines was examined by transient transfection of BIRC3 promoter constructs linked to a luciferase gene in MIN6 cells, a mouse beta cell line. RESULTS: Enrichment of several metabolic and signalling pathways was observed in cytokine-treated human islets. In addition to the upregulation of known pro-apoptotic genes, a number of anti-apoptotic genes including BIRC3, BCL2A1, TNFAIP3, CFLAR and TRAF1 were induced by cytokines through NF-kappaB. Significant synergy between the cytokines was observed in NF-kappaB-mediated induction of the promoter of BIRC3 in MIN6 cells. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that, via NF-kappaB activation, cytokines induce a concurrent anti-apoptotic pathway that may be critical for preserving islet integrity and viability during the progression of insulitis in type 1 diabetes.

Association between anti-ZnT8 autoantibody specificities and SLC30A8 Arg325Trp variant in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We analysed the association between humoral autoreactivity to zinc transporter-8 (ZnT8) and the SLC30A8 rs13266634 polymorphism (Arg325Trp), which is located at the most distal loop in the ZnT8 protein. METHODS: Autoantibodies to ZnT8 were determined by RIA in 270 patients with type 1 diabetes using ZnT8 carboxy-terminal constructs (amino acids 268-369) carrying 325Trp(CW) and 325Arg(CR) and a hybrid construct (CW-CR). Forty-four ZnT8 autoantibody-positive sera with genomic DNA were used to examine the association between reactivity to ZnT8 constructs and the rs13266634 genotype. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients reacted to the CW-CR hybrid construct, whereas 37 and 36 patients reacted to the CW and CR constructs, respectively. All sera positive for either CW or CR autoantibodies were positive for CW-CR autoantibodies. Among 19 patients with a 325Arg(CC) genotype, 5% had CW-specific autoantibodies, 42% had CR-specific autoantibodies and 32% had dual reactivity. Conversely, 73% of 15 patients with the 325Trp(TT) genotype had CW-specific autoantibodies, no patients had CR-specific autoantibodies and 13% had dual reactivity. Nine of the ten patients (90%) with the CT genotype reacted with either CR or CW constructs. The titre of CR autoantibodies in patients carrying the C allele was significantly higher than that in TT homozygotes (p < 0.0001). In contrast, the titre of CW autoantibodies in patients carrying a T allele was significantly higher than that in CC homozygotes (p < 0.005). No evidence of an association between rs13266634 and type 1 diabetes was observed. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These results indicate that variant residue at amino acid 325 is a key determinant of humoral autoreactivity to ZnT8 and that the SLC30A8 genotype is an important determinant of autoantibody specificity.

The stimulus-secretion coupling of glucose-induced insulin release. Metabolic and functional effects of NH4+ in rat islets.

NH4+ caused a dose-related, rapid, and reversible inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release by isolated rat islets. It also inhibited glyceraldehyde-, Ba2+-, and sulfonylurea-stimulated insulun secretion. NH4+ failed to affect glucose utilization and oxidation, glucose-stimulated proinsulin biosynthesis, the concentration of ATP, AD, and AMP, and the intracellular pH. NH4+ also failed to affect the ability of theophylline and cytochalasin B to augment glucose-induced insulin release. However, in the presence and absence of glucose, accumulation of NH4+ in islet cells was associated with a fall in the concentration of NADH and HADPH and a concomitant alteration of 86Rb+ and 45Ca2+ (or 133Ba2+) handling. These findings suggest that reduced pyridine nucleotides, generated by the metabolism of endogenous of exogenous nutrients, may modulate ionophoretic processes in the islet cells and by doing so, affect the net uptake of Ca2+ and subsequent release of insulin.

Role of microtubules in the synthesis, conversion, and release of (pro)insulin. A biochemical and radioautographic study in rat islets.

In the pancreatic B cell, microtubules are thought to be involved in the process of insulin release. Their possible participation in the sequence of events leading from the biosynthesis and conversion of proinsulin to the release of newly synthesized insulin was investigated in rat isolated islets exposed to colchicine (0.1 mM). When the islets were preincubated for 30 min with colchicine and [3H]-leucine and, thereafter, incubated for two successive periods of 90 min each, still in the presence of colchicine, the release of preformed insulin was progressively inhibited and that of newly synthesized hormone delayed. When the islets were preincubated for 120 min with colchicine, subsequently pulse-labeled with [3H]leucine, and eventually examined by ultrastructural autoradiography, the export of newly synthesized proinsulin out of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, its transit through the Golgi complex, and its eventual packaging in secretory granules were all retarded. This situation was associated with a delayed conversion of proinsulin to insulin. Under the same experimental conditions, colchicine failed to affect the oxidation of glucose and adenylate charge in the islets. The effect of colchicine upon the release of preformed and newly synthesized insulin was not reproduced by lumicolchicine. It is concluded that colchicine interferes with the system controlling the intracellular transfer of secretory material from site of synthesis to site of release. This interference is likely to be linked to the effect of colchicine on microtubules.

Imogen 38: a novel 38-kD islet mitochondrial autoantigen recognized by T cells from a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic patient.

Cell-mediated autoimmune attack directed against islet proteins of approximately 38 kD in size has been associated with type 1 diabetes. A novel murine cDNA encoding an antigen of this size was cloned using a screening procedure based on the proliferative response of a human diabetic T cell clone (1C6) to a recombinant antigen epitope library. Membrane preparations from COS 7 cells transfected with the full-length 1,267-bp cDNA elicited a proliferative response from the reporter T cells comparable to that of the defined peptide epitope and native insulinoma antigen. In vitro translation and transfection experiments suggested that the protein is initially synthesized as a 44-kD protein and then processed to the native 38-kD form through the proteolytic removal of a 54-aa NH2-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence. Differential centrifugation, Percoll density gradient centrifugation, and immunofluorescence studies confirmed localization of the antigen to mitochondria. Northern blot, Western blot, and 1C6 T cell proliferation assays showed that, although imogen 38 was more highly expressed in beta cell than alpha cell lines, it was also present in other tissues. It is concluded that imogen 38 may be a target for bystander autoimmune attack in diabetes rather than a primary autoantigen.

Pancreatic B-cells secrete a range of novel peptides besides insulin.

Insulin secretion by a transplantable rat islet B-cell tumour is accompanied by the release of two putative proinsulin cleavage intermediates, four peptides of Mr 9000-12 000 (excluding proinsulin) and peptides of Mr 21 000, 34 000 and 60 000. Granule-enriched subcellular preparations contain major peptides of identical Mr values. Of these peptides seven at least coincide in molecular weight with peptides secreted by isolated rat islets and thus may be constituents of the normal insulin secretory granule.

The stimulus-secretion coupling of amino acid-induced insulin release. Metabolic interaction of L-glutamine and 2-ketoisocaproate in pancreatic islets.

1. The metabolic situation found in pancreatic islets exposed to both L-glutamine and 2-ketoisocaproate was investigated in order to assess its relevance to the synergistic effects of these nutrients upon insulin release. 2. In islet homogenates, serveral 2-keto acids could be used as partners for the transamination of L-glutamate to 2-ketoglutarate. The rate of transamination did not correlate positively with the capacity of each 2-keto acid to stimulate insulin release in the presence of L-glutamine. 3. L-Glutamine enhanced the production of L-leucine from 2-ketoisocaproate and inhibited the conversion of the 2-keto acid to acetoacetate and CO2. L-Glutamine also inhibited the oxidation of pyruvate. 4. In the presence of 2-ketoisocaproate, the rate of generation of 2-ketoglutarate from exogenous L-glutamine was increased, but the oxidative deamination of glutamate was suppressed. 5. L-Valine antagonized the effect of 2-ketoisocaproate to augment 14CO2 output from islets prelabelled with L-[U-14C]glutamine. 6. L-Glutamine did not increase the islet content of reduced pyridine nucleotides beyond the high level reached in the sole presence of 2-ketoisocaproate. 7. If allowance was made for the influence of exogenous nutrients upon the oxidation of endogenous nutrients, the insulin output evoked by L-glutamine and/or 2-keto acids tightly depended on the increment in oxidation rate attributable to these nutrients. 8. The metabolic and secretory responses to L-glutamine and 2-ketoisocaproate were best explained by a stimulation of transamination reactions between 2-ketoisocaproate and glutamate derived from exogenous glutamine.

T-cell epitope analysis on the autoantigen phogrin (IA-2beta) in the nonobese diabetic mouse.

The protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) IA-2 and phogrin (IA-2beta) are major autoantigens in type 1 diabetes that possess common serological epitopes in their COOH termini. The epitopes recognized by the T-cells that cause the disease, however, remain to be defined. Eight phogrin-specific T-cell clones were generated from NOD mice, and their epitopes were mapped. The mapping was performed initially with recombinant gluthathione S-transferase-phogrin COOH deletion constructs and ultimately with overlapping synthetic peptides. Two dominant epitopes were identified: one (aa 629-649) immediately adjacent to the transmembrane domain (aa 604-628) and the second (aa 755-777) lying in the NH(2)-terminal region of the conserved PTP domain. T-cells that are specific to either of these peptides and that could destroy islet tissue in vivo though spontaneous T-cell proliferative responses were observed in prediabetic female NOD splenocytes only to the aa 755-777 epitope. In NOD female mice immunized with the epitope peptide, intramolecular determinant spreading occurred from the aa 629-649 epitope to the aa 755-777 epitope but not in the opposite direction. We concluded that the initial T-cell response to phogrin is restricted to a small number of dominant peptides and that it subsequently spreads to other regions of the molecule, including those containing the major humoral epitopes that are highly conserved between IA-2 and phogrin.

A subtractive cloning approach to the identification of mRNAs specifically expressed in pancreatic beta-cells.

A polymerase chain reaction-based subtractive hybridization procedure was applied to cDNAs prepared from mouse insulinoma (beta TC3) and glucagonoma (alpha TC2) cell lines to construct a library of cDNAs that are highly expressed in pancreatic beta-cells. An analysis of 555 randomly chosen clones in the library showed that 80 were derived from abundant mRNAs and were accounted for by 29 distinct sequences. Of these, 17 were identical or homologous to known mammalian cDNAs or expressed sequence tags. Genes known to be highly expressed in beta-cells were represented at a high frequency, namely insulin (15 of 80 clones), islet amyloid polypeptide (8 of 80 clones), proinsulin convertase 1 (6 of 80 clones), and neuropeptide Y (2 of 80 clones). Many of the novel cDNA sequences that were highly represented in the library showed a relative specificity to beta-cells compared with other tissues, including glucagonoma, liver, kidney, brain, 3T3 fibroblasts, and AtT20 corticotrophs, and warrant further investigation. When combined with functional or immunological screening procedures, the approach will be useful for the isolation of beta-cell-specific molecules for immunological and genetic investigations of beta-cell function and pathology.

Identification of the 37-kDa antigen in IDDM as a tyrosine phosphatase-like protein (phogrin) related to IA-2.

Antibodies to islet cell proteins detected as 37,000 and 40,000 M(r), tryptic fragments (37- and 40-kDa antigens) are strongly associated with progression to IDDM. The 40-kDa antigen has recently been identified as the tyrosine phosphatase-like protein IA-2 (ICA512) whereas the 37-kDa antigen has been suggested to be a different protein that has structural similarity to IA-2. A protein, phogrin, that has 80% amino acid sequence identity to IA-2 in the cytoplasmic domain, has recently been cloned from an insulinoma cell cDNA library. In this study, we have investigated possible relationships between the 37-kDa antigen and phogrin. Antibodies to phogrin were detected in sera from patients with IDDM, and these antibodies were strongly correlated with the presence of antibodies to the 37-kDa antigen. Trypsin treatment of immunoprecipitated phogrin generated a 37,000 M(r) fragment. Recombinant phogrin was able to block autoantibody binding to the 37-kDa antigen but not to the 40-kDa antigen, and rabbit antibodies raised to different regions of phogrin depleted insulinoma cell extracts specifically of the 37-kDa antigen. These results demonstrate that the 37-kDa antigen in IDDM is indistinguishable from phogrin and show that two distinct tyrosine phosphatase-related proteins are major targets of the autoimmune response in the disease.