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Molecular Interactions Governing Autoantigen Presentation in Type 1 Diabetes

  • Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes (A Pugliese, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease resulting from T cell-mediated destruction of insulin-producing beta cells within pancreatic islets. Disease incidence has increased significantly in the last two decades, especially in young children. Type 1 diabetes is now predictable in humans with the measurement of serum islet autoantibodies directed against insulin and beta cell proteins. Knowledge regarding the presentation of insulin and islet antigens to T cells has increased dramatically over the last several years. Here, we review the trimolecular complex in diabetes, which consists of a major histocompatibility molecule,self-peptide, and T cell receptor, with a focus on insulin peptide presentation to T cells. With this increased understanding of how antigens are presented to T cells comes the hope for improved therapies for type 1 diabetes prevention.

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Acknowledgments

Supported by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases (R01DK099317, K08 DK095995), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Maki Nakayama, Kimberly M. Simmons & Aaron W. Michels

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  1. Maki Nakayama
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  2. Kimberly M. Simmons
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  3. Aaron W. Michels
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Correspondence to Aaron W. Michels.

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Conflict of Interest

Maki Nakayama has a pending patent on Compounds that modulate autoimmunity and methods of using the same.

Kimberly M. Simmons and Aaron W. Michels declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes

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Nakayama, M., Simmons, K.M. & Michels, A.W. Molecular Interactions Governing Autoantigen Presentation in Type 1 Diabetes. Curr Diab Rep 15, 113 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-015-0689-z

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