The NOD mouse is an important experimental model for human type 1 diabetes. T cells are central to NOD pathogenesis, and their function in the autoimmune process of diabetes has been well studied. In contrast, although recognized as important players in disease induction, the role of B cells is not clearly understood. In this study we characterize different subpopulations of B cells and demonstrate that marginal zone (MZ) B cells are expanded 2- to 3-fold in NOD mice compared with nondiabetic C57BL/6 (B6) mice. The NOD MZ B cells displayed a normal surface marker profile and localized to the MZ region in the NOD spleen. Moreover, the MZ B cell population developed early during the ontogeny of NOD mice. By 3 wk of age, around the time when autoreactive T cells are first activated, a significant MZ B cell population of adult phenotype was found in NOD, but not B6, mice. Using an F2(B6 × NOD) cross in a genome-wide scan, we map the control of this trait to a region on chromosome 4 (logarithm of odds score, 4.4) which includes the Idd11 and Idd9 diabetes susceptibility loci, supporting the hypothesis that this B cell trait is related to the development of diabetes in the NOD mouse.
CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells belong to the innate-like lymphocytes which respond rapidly to stress and infectious challenge. We have studied murine CD1d-restricted NKT cells in the early immune response to virulent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium after oral infection. In the liver and spleen, neutrophil and macrophage numbers had increased several-fold by day 5 post-infection, while the frequency of B and T lymphocytes decreased. These cellular changes occurred independently of CD1d-restricted NKT cells, and further, CD1d-restricted T cells did not influence the bacterial load. However, in CD1d + mice NK1.1 + T cells and invariant CD1d-restricted T cells were activated by the infection, as demonstrated by an increase in size, up-regulation of CD69 and production of IFN-c. The NK1.1 antigen was down-modulated on these cells during the course of infection, while TCR levels were unaffected. While dendritic cells (DC) upregulated CD1d-levels upon 24 h of in vitro exposure to the bacteria, increased CD1d expression was not evident on DC in vivo during infection. Furthermore, in vitro restimulation of CD1d-restricted T cells isolated from infected mice demonstrated a significant skewing of the cytokine profile, with suppressed IL-4 and increased IFN-c production.
Transgenic mice were generated expressing NK1.1, an NK cell-associated receptor, under control of the human CD2 promoter. Unexpectedly, one of the founder lines, Tg66, showed a marked defect in thymic development characterized by disorganized architecture and small size. Mapping of the transgene insertion by fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed integration in chromosome 2, band G. Already from postnatal day 3, the thymic architecture was disturbed with a preferential loss of cortical thymic epithelial cells, a feature that became more pronounced over time. Compared with wild-type mice, total thymic cell numbers decreased dramatically between 10 and 20 days of age. Thymocytes isolated from adult Tg66 mice were predominantly immature double-negative cells, indicating a block in thymic development at an early stage of differentiation. Consequently, Tg66 mice had reduced numbers of peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Bone marrow from Tg66 mice readily reconstituted thymi of irradiated wild-type as well as RAG-deficient mice. This indicates that the primary defect in Tg66 mice resided in nonhemopoietic stromal cells of the thymus. The phenotype is observed in mice heterozygous for the insertion and does not resemble any known mutations affecting thymic development. Preliminary studies in mice homozygous for transgene insertion reveal a more accelerated and pronounced phenotype suggesting a semidominant effect. The Tg66 mice may serve as a useful model to identify genes regulating thymic epithelial cell differentiation, thymic development, and function.
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