Autoimmune T-lymphocytes with specificity for pancreatic islet antigens.

The question is still unresolved whether in insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes T-lymphocytes mediate an autoimmune response towards pancreatic islets. We now present direct evidence in an animal model for autoimmune T-lymphocytes with specificity for islet antigens. Mice of strain C57BL/6 were immunized repeatedly with islet homogenates. Lymphocytes isolated from draining lymph nodes and the spleen show a specific proliferative response when challenged with mouse rat or islet antigens but do not respond to liver or spleen antigens. Islet antigen specific lymphoblasts have been maintained by in vitro culture for several weeks in the presence of T-cell growth factor containing medium.