Decreased dendritic cell numbers but increased TLR9-mediated interferon-alpha production in first degree relatives of type 1 diabetes patients.

April 5, 2014
Source: Clin Immunol. 2014 Jul;153(1):49-55. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2014.03.018. Epub 2014 Apr 5

Authors: J. Kayserová, J. Včeláková, K. Štechová, E. Dudková, H. Hromádková, Z. Sumnik, S. Koloušková, R. Špíšek, A. Šedivá

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.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24709112