High density insulin receptor-positive diabetogenic T lymphocytes in nonobese diabetic mice are memory cells.

Our previous work examining the importance of insulin receptor (IR) expression on T cells has demonstrated that when T cells from nonobese diabetic mice were sorted into populations expressing a high (IR(High)) and a low (IR(Low)) density of IR, IR(High) T cells rapidly transferred insulitis and diabetes. We have further characterized IR(High) T cells. Both CD4+ and CD8+ cells were detected in the IR(High) T cell population, but IR(High) expression was detected predominantly on CD4+ cells. IRHigh T cells were polyclonal for TCR Vbeta-chain expression. By 3 color flow cytometric analysis, virtually all IR(High) T cells expressed low or negligible levels of CD62L (CD62L(Low)/-) and high levels of CD44 (CD44(High)). The lack of IL-2 receptor and transferrin receptor expression as seen previously, together with the CD62L(Low)/- CD44(High) phenotype suggests that IR(High) T cells are memory cells. However, since only about one quarter of all of the CD62L(Low)/- or CD44(High) T cells were also IR(High), the IR(High) phenotype defines a subpopulation of memory T cells that are aggressively diabetogenic.