Decreased dendritic cell numbers but increased TLR9-mediated interferon-alpha production in first degree relatives of type 1 diabetes patients.
Clin Immunol 2014;
153:49-55. [PMID:
24709112 DOI:
10.1016/j.clim.2014.03.018]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Revised: 03/12/2014] [Accepted: 03/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role in pathogenesis of autoimmunity, including type 1 diabetes (T1D). In this study, we investigated DC subpopulations and their responses to TLR stimulation in T1D patients and their relatives.
METHODS
We analyzed the frequency of myeloid (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in 97 T1D patients (69 onset, 28 long-term), 67 first-degree relatives, and 64 controls. We additionally tested the IFN-alpha production by pDCs upon stimulation with TLR 7, 8 and 9 agonists.
RESULTS
A lower number of mDCs and pDCs were found in T1D patients and their relatives. Of all the tested TLR ligands, only stimulation with CpG 2216 induced IFN-alpha production that was the highest in T1D relatives, except of autoantibody-negative relatives bearing the protective haplotypes.
CONCLUSION
Our data demonstrate disturbances in DC number and function expressed most significantly in T1D relatives and point to a potential role of TLR9-induced IFN-alpha production in T1D development.
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