Tet2 Controls the Responses of ß cells to Inflammation in Autoimmune Diabetes.

ABSTRACT

ß cells may participate and contribute to their own demise during Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Here we report a role of their expression of Tet2 in regulating immune killing. Tet2 is induced in murine and human ß cells with inflammation but its expression is reduced in surviving ß cells. Tet2-KO mice that receive WT bone marrow transplants develop insulitis but not diabetes and islet infiltrates do not eliminate ß cells even though immune cells from the mice can transfer diabetes to NOD/scid recipients. Tet2-KO recipients are protected from transfer of disease by diabetogenic immune cells.Tet2-KO ß cells show reduced expression of IFNγ-induced inflammatory genes that are needed to activate diabetogenic T cells. Here we show that Tet2 regulates pathologic interactions between ß cells and immune cells and controls damaging inflammatory pathways. Our data suggests that eliminating TET2 in ß cells may reduce activating pathologic immune cells and killing of ß cells.