Islet cell hyperexpression of HLA class I antigens: a defining feature in type 1 diabetes.

ABSTRACT:

Aims/hypothesis

Human pancreatic beta cells may be complicit in their own demise in type 1 diabetes, but how this occurs remains unclear. One potentially contributing factor is hyperexpression of HLA class I antigens. This was first described approximately 30 years ago, but has never been fully characterised and was recently challenged as artefactual. Therefore, we investigated HLA class I expression at the protein and RNA levels in pancreases from three cohorts of patients with type 1 diabetes. The principal aims were to consider whether HLA class I hyperexpression is artefactual and, if not, to determine the factors driving it.

Methods

Pancreas samples from type 1 diabetes patients with residual insulin-containing islets (n = 26) from the Network for Pancreatic Organ donor

SUBMITTER: Richardson SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5042874 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature