Mallone R, Halliez C, Rui J, Herold KC. The β-Cell in Type 1 Diabetes Pathogenesis: A Victim of Circumstances or an Instigator of Tragic Events?
Diabetes 2022;
71:1603-1610. [PMID:
35881836 PMCID:
PMC9490354 DOI:
10.2337/dbi21-0036]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Recent reports have revived interest in the active role that β-cells may play in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis at different stages of disease. In some studies, investigators suggested an initiating role and proposed that type 1 diabetes may be primarily a disease of β-cells and only secondarily a disease of autoimmunity. This scenario is possible and invites the search for environmental triggers damaging β-cells. Another major contribution of β-cells may be to amplify autoimmune vulnerability and to eventually drive it into an intrinsic, self-detrimental state that turns the T cell-mediated homicide into a β-cell suicide. On the other hand, protective mechanisms are also mounted by β-cells and may provide novel therapeutic targets to combine immunomodulatory and β-cell protective agents. This integrated view of autoimmunity as a disease of T-cell/β-cell cross talk will ultimately advance our understanding of type 1 diabetes pathogenesis and improve our chances of preventing or reversing disease progression.
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