Protecting Pancreatic Beta Cells in Type 1 Diabetes

June 28, 2022

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease where a patient’s immune system attacks their pancreatic islet beta cells. These cells play a crucial role in regulating blood glucose levels by producing insulin. As T1D progresses, patients lose their ability to make insulin. In a study titled Proinflammatory signaling in islet β cells propagates invasion of pathogenic immune cells in autoimmune diabetes, published in Cell, scientists utilized mice to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the development of autoimmunity within the beta cells. 

The researchers focused on the gene Alox15, which produces the enzyme 12/15-Lipoxygenase. They genetically removed Alox15 from NOD mice, a strain predisposed to T1D, and studied the resulting effects. The results revealed significant changes in these mice. Notably, they observed overall protection against developing T1D. They also found a reduction in inflammation in the beta cells and increases in immune cell markers known to help suppress autoimmunity. These immune cell changes may explain why the mice were protected from T1D development. 

To extend this work, they also included data from human islet cells treated with a molecule to inhibit lipoxygenase, the enzyme produced by Alox15. They noted similar cellular changes to that noted in the mice. 

More research is needed, but this work suggests that developing a therapy to prevent damage to pancreatic beta cells may eventually be possible. 

Citation for report:

Piñeros, A. R., Kulkarni, A., Gao, H., Orr, K. S., Glenn, L., Huang, F., Liu, Y., Gannon, M., Syed, F., Wu, W., Anderson, C. M., Evans-Molina, C., McDuffie, M., Nadler, J. L., Morris, M. A., Mirmira, R. G., & Tersey, S. A. (2022). Proinflammatory signaling in islet β cells propagates invasion of pathogenic immune cells in autoimmune diabetes. Cell reports, 39(13), 111011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111011