The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse strain provides a remarkable model for investigating the mechanisms of autoimmunity. Independent genetic analyses of this model have previously shown that chromosome 1-linked loci were involved in the control of periinsulitis and sialitis on the one hand and of insulitis and diabetes on the other hand. In the present work, analysis of a [NOD x (NOD x C57BL/6)F1] backcross progeny allowed us to clearly dissociate two genetic regions: one was associated with periinsulitis and mapped to the middle region of chromosome 1, in the vicinity of the Bcl-2 gene; the other was associated with insulitis and mapped to the proximal part of the chromosome. Three intermediate markers D1Mit18, D1Mit5 and D1Mit19 covering at least 25 centiMorgans between these two regions, were associated with neither periinsulitis nor insulitis. The role of the Bcl-2-linked region in the immune anomalies of NOD mice was further investigated in a (NOD x C57BL/6)F2 cross where the Bcl-2nod haplotype was linked to elevated serum levels of IgG (p < 0.0005). The middle region of chromosome 1 is, therefore, involved in the control of three phenotypes, including periinsulitis, sialitis and hyperIgG, pointing to Bcl-2 as a good candidate for a cause of the NOD mouse disease. Consistent with the anti-apoptotic function of the Bcl-2 gene product, activated T lymphocytes from NOD mice showed a markedly increased resistance to induction of apoptosis following deprivation of interleukin-2 when compared to those from non-autoimmune strains. After the recent observation of the Fas gene alterations in the lpr and lprcg mutations, these findings indicate that deregulation of lymphoid cell apoptosis may be a general pathogenetic mechanism in autoimmune diseases.

Key Points• ASCT provides long-term remission in the majority of EATL patients transplanted in first complete or partial remission.• ASCT should be considered in transplant-eligible EATL patients.Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL) is a rare subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphomas with a poor prognosis. Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was retrospectively evaluated as a consolidation or salvage strategy for EATL. The analysis included 44 patients who received ASCT for EATL between 2000 and 2010. Thirty-one patients (70%) were in first complete or partial remission at the time of the ASCT. With a median follow-up of 46 months, relapse incidence, progression-free survival, and overall survival were 39%, 54%, and 59% at 4 years, respectively, with only one relapse occurring beyond 18 months posttransplant. There was a trend for better survival in patients transplanted in first complete or partial remission at 4 years (66% vs 36%; P 5 .062). ASCT is feasible in selected patients with EATL and can yield durable disease control in a significant proportion of the patients. (Blood. 2013;121(13):2529-2532

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It is well established that the NOD mouse develops T-cell-dependent autoimmune type I diabetes that is abolished by neonatal Tx and enhanced by Tx at weaning. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the NOD thymus displays various abnormalities in the microenvironmental compartment, including abnormal distribution of epithelial cell subsets, precocious decline in thymic hormone production and formation of giant PVS. These latter structures present an internal ECM-containing network filled with T-cells and to a lesser extent B-cells. Herein we have investigated further the giant PVS and particularly the origin of the T-cells that colonize these structures. The thymic origin of intra-PVS T-cells was ascertained by distinct protocols. First, sublethal X-ray irradiation or HC treatment leading to cortical thymocyte depletion showed that intra-PVS lymphocytes were resistant, similar to medullary thymocytes. Second, adoptive transfer experiments that used newborn or adult irradiated Thy-1 congenic recipients demonstrated that intra-PVS accumulation of T-cells did not result from the reentry of peripheral mature T-cells into the thymus. Third, kinetic studies that used BrdUrd pulse chase revealed that labeled intra-PVS cells appear late, simultaneously with medullary thymocytes, and remain only transiently within the PVS. Thus, the kinetics of T-cell reconstitution of PVS was compatible with the progressive differentiation of T-cell precursors originating from the thymic cortex. In this respect, the giant PVS of the NOD mouse thymus may represent a useful model to study the relationships between trafficking thymocytes and ECM proteins.