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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1991 Apr 15;88(8):3088–3091. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.8.3088

Vaccination against autoimmune mouse diabetes with a T-cell epitope of the human 65-kDa heat shock protein.

D Elias 1, T Reshef 1, O S Birk 1, R van der Zee 1, M D Walker 1, I R Cohen 1
PMCID: PMC51390  PMID: 1707531

Abstract

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is caused by autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells resident in the pancreatic islets. We recently discovered that the pathogenesis of diabetes in NOD strain mice was associated with T-cell reactivity to an antigen cross-reactive with a mycobacterial 65-kDa heat shock protein. To identify peptide epitopes critical to the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus of NOD mice, we studied the specificities of helper T-cell clones capable of causing hyperglycemia and diabetes. We now report the identification of a functionally important peptide within the sequence of the human variant of the 65-kDa heat shock protein molecule. T-cell clones recognizing this peptide mediate insulitis and hyperglycemia. Alternatively, the T cells can be attenuated and used as therapeutic T-cell vaccines to abort the diabetogenic process. Moreover, administration of the peptide itself to NOD mice can also down-regulate immunity to the 65-kDa heat shock protein and prevent the development of diabetes. Thus, T-cell vaccination and specific peptide therapy are feasible in spontaneous autoimmune diabetes.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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