Response of peripheral-blood mononuclear cells to glutamate decarboxylase in insulin-dependent diabetes

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 339; no. 8791; pp. 458 - 459
• Main Authors: Atkinson, M.A, Campbell, L, Gibbs, K.A, Maclaren, N.K, Kaufman, D.L, Bu, D-F, Erlander, M.G, Tobin, A.J, Shah, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 22.02.1992; Lancet; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Antigens; Autoantibodies; Autoantibodies - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Cellular biology; Culture Media; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - immunology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Glutamate decarboxylase; Glutamate Decarboxylase - pharmacology; Health care; Health risks; Humans; Immunity (Disease); Insulin; Islets of Langerhans - immunology; Leukocytes (mononuclear); Leukocytes, Mononuclear - drug effects; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - immunology; Lymphocyte Activation; Medical research; Medical sciences; Pancreas; Patients; Peripheral blood; Risk management; Endocrinopathy; Antigen; Human; Mononuclear cell; Enzyme; Etiopathogenesis; Insulin dependent diabetes; Exploration; Glutamate decarboxylase
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)91061-C

Insulin-dependent diabetes is characterised by autoantibodies to several pancreatic-islet-cell antigens, including glutamate decarboxylase. We measured the proliferative responses to this antigen of peripheral-blood mononuclear cells from patients with newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetes, relatives of diabetic patients, and healthy controls. The likelihood of a positive response was substantially greater among the diabetic patients and relatives positive for islet-cell autoantibodies (ICA) than among subjects at low risk of diabetes (controls and ICA-negative relatives). Glutamate decarboxylase may have a pathogenetic role in insulin-dependent diabetes.