The Extra-Islet Pancreas Supports Autoimmunity in Human Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

In autoimmune Type 1 diabetes (T1D), immune cells infiltrate and destroy the islets of Langerhans – islands of endocrine tissue dispersed throughout the pancreas. However, the contribution of cellular programs outside islets to insulitis is unclear. Here, using CO-Detection by indEXing (CODEX) tissue imaging and cadaveric pancreas samples, we simultaneously examine islet and extra-islet inflammation in human T1D. We identify four sub-states of inflamed islets characterized by the activation profiles of CD8 + T cells enriched in islets relative to the surrounding tissue. We further find that the extra-islet space of lobules with extensive islet-infiltration differs from the extra-islet space of less infiltrated areas within the same tissue section. Finally, we identify lymphoid structures away from islets enriched in CD45RA + T cells – a population also enriched in one of the inflamed islet sub-states. Together, these data help define the coordination between islets and the extra-islet pancreas in the pathogenesis of human T1D.