T-Cell-specific PTPN2 deficiency in NOD mice accelerates the development of type 1 diabetes and autoimmune comorbidities

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Wiede, Florian;Brodnicki, Thomas C.;Goh, Pei Kee;Leong, Yew A.;Jones, Gareth W.;Yu, Di;Baxter, Alan G.;Jones, Simon A.;Kay, Thomas W.H.;Tiganis, Tony
Abstract

Genome-wide association studies have identified PTPN2 as an important non-MHC gene for autoimmunity. Single nucleotide polymorphisms that reduce PTPN2 expression have been linked with the development of various autoimmune disorders, including type 1 diabetes. The tyrosine phosphatase PTPN2 attenuates T-cell receptor and cytokine signaling in T cells to maintain peripheral tolerance, but the extent to which PTPN2 deficiency in T cells might influence type 1 diabetes onset remains unclear. NOD mice develop spontaneous autoimmune type 1 diabetes similar to that seen in humans. In this study, T-cell PTPN2 deficiency in NOD mice markedly accelerated the onset and increased the incidence of type 1 diabetes as well as that of other disorders, including colitis and Sjogren syndrome. Although PTPN2 deficiency in CD8(+) T cells alone was able to drive the destruction of pancreatic beta-cells and the onset of diabetes, T-cell-specific PTPN2 deficiency was also accompanied by increased CD4(+) T-helper type 1 differentiation and T-follicular-helper cell polarization and increased the abundance of B cells in pancreatic islets as seen in human type 1 diabetes. These findings causally link PTPN2 deficiency in T cells with the development of type 1 diabetes and associated autoimmune comorbidities.

Journal

Diabetes

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Volume

68

ISBN/ISSN

1939-327X

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Issue

6

Pages Count

16

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Publisher

American Diabetes Association

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DOI

10.2337/db18-1362