Serum autoantibodies in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus: identification of reactivity against a 29 kd pancreas-specific protein.

Serum samples from patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and controls were incubated with two-dimensional Western immunoblots of pancreas and other tissues. Two out of 26 (8%) of the diabetics and 0 out of 45 of the controls demonstrated reactivity against four pancreas-specific proteins with identical molecular weights of 29,000 daltons and different isoelectric points ranging from pH 7.0-8.0. It is concluded that 29 Kd autoantibody reactivity is not a major marker for type 1 diabetes, but may help identify a subgroup of type 1 diabetics.