HLA-DQ-restricted, islet-specific T-cell clones of a type I diabetic patient. T-cell receptor sequence similarities to insulitis-inducing T-cells of nonobese diabetic mice.

We established a T-cell line and 20 CD4+ T-cell clones from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of a type I diabetic patient using a membrane preparation of a rat insulinoma cell line (beta membrane antigen [BMA]) as a source of antigen. The T-cell line and three selected clones proliferated specifically to stimulation with BMA and to membranes prepared from human islets, rat pancreas, and NOD pancreas, but not to control antigens. Proliferation-inhibition studies using human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific monoclonal antibodies revealed HLA-DQw1-restricted recognition of BMA. An analysis of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of the T-cell line after 8 and 40 days of culture showed a prominent usage of the V alpha 1 and V alpha 12 gene families. Although sequencing of the TCR V alpha and V beta chains of the three clones demonstrated that each used different V alpha and V beta gene segments, structural similarities were found in complementary-determining region 3 (CDR3), the region that is postulated to interact with the peptide component of the TCR ligand. When we compared these TCR sequences with published sequences of disease-inducing T-cells of NOD mice, highly related TCR V beta families were detected. Furthermore, stretches of identical amino acids within the CDR3 region were found between two pairs of human and mouse T-cells. If one considers the species differences in TCR genes and sequence differences in the restriction elements for these cells (HLA-DQ vs. H-2 I-A nod), these sequence similarities are striking and may be useful for pinpointing T-cells of primary importance in the development of disease.