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Correspondence to: Brigitta Stockinger, Division of Molecular Immunology, The National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK. Tel:181-913-8604 Fax:181-913-8531 E-mail:b-stocki{at}nimr.mrc.ac.uk.
In this paper, we test the hypothesis that triggering of a second T cell receptor (TCR) expressed on diabetogenic T cells might initiate the onset of diabetes. A cross between two TCR-transgenic strains, the BDC2.5 strain that carries diabetogenic TCRs and the A18 strain that carries receptors specific for C5, was set up to monitor development of diabetes after activation through the C5 TCR. F1 BDC2.5 x A18 mice developed diabetes spontaneously beyond 3–4 mo of age. Although their T cells express both TCRs constitutively, the A18 receptor is expressed at extremely low levels. In vitro activation of dual TCR T cells followed by adoptive transfer into neonatal or adult F1 mice resulted in diabetes onset and death within 10 d after transfer. In contrast, in vivo immunization of F1 mice with different forms of C5 antigen not only failed to induce diabetes but protected mice from the spontaneous onset of diabetes. We propose that antigenic stimulation of cells with low levels of TCR produces signals inadequate for full activation, resulting instead in anergy.
Key Words: diabetes, T cell receptor, anergy, T lymphocytes, islets
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