Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Juvenile autoimmune diabetes: A pathogenic role for maternal antibodies?

Nature Medicine volume 8, pages 331–333 (2002)Cite this article

Type 1 diabetes has long been thought of as a T cell–mediated disease. Now, a new study in mice makes a strong case that maternal autoantibodies can play an essential role in the initiation of diabetes. (pages 399–402)

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Pathogenesis of T1D is triggered by environmental and genetic factors as well as islet antibodies.
Figure 2: T1D could occur with distinct kinetics that might reflect differences in underlying pathogenetic mechanisms.

References

  1. Greeley, S.A.W. et al. Elimination of maternally-transmitted autoantibodies prevents diabetes in nonobese diabetic mice. Nature Med. 8, 399–402 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Van Kerckhove, C. Lupus erythematosus in childhood: Effect of maternal factors beyond neonatal disease? Clin. Rheumatol. 9, 168–170 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Wrede, G., Kiesel, U., Freytag, G. & Kolb, H. Chronic insulitis after partial islet damage by passive insulin antibody transfer. Horm. Metab. Res. 16 (Suppl. 1), 97–101 (1984).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bendelac, A., Carnaud, C., Boitard, C. & Bach, J.F. Syngeneic transfer of autoimmune diabetes from diabetic NOD mice to healthy neonates. Requirement for both L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells. J. Exp. Med. 166, 823–832 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bendelac, A. et al. Adoptive T cell transfer of autoimmune nonobese diabetic mouse diabetes does not require recruitment of host B lymphocytes. J. Immunol. 141, 2625–2628 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Marner, B. et al. Islet cell antibodies in insulin-dependent (Type 1) diabetic children treated with plasmapheresis. Diabetes. Res. 2, 231–236 (1985).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Andersson, A., Forsgren, S., Soderstrom, A. & Holmberg, D. Monoclonal, natural antibodies prevent development of diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse. J. Autoimmun. 4, 733–742 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Forsgren, S., Andersson, A., Hillorn, V., Soderstrom, A. & Holmberg, D. Immunoglobulin-mediated prevention of autoimmune diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse. Scand. J. Immunol. 34, 445–451 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Luan, J.J. et al. Defective FcγRII gene expression in macrophages of NOD mice—Genetic linkage with up-regulation of IgG1 and IgG2b in serum. J. Immunol. 157, 4707–4716 (1996).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Naserke, H.E., Bonifacio, E. & Ziegler, A.G. Prevalence, characteristics and diabetes risk associated with transient maternally acquired islet antibodies and persistent islet antibodies in offspring of parents with Type 1 diabetes. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 86, 4826–4833 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Warram, J.H., Krolewski, A.S., Gottlieb, M.S. & Kahn, C.R. Differences in risk of insulin-dependent diabetes in offspring of diabetic mothers and diabetic fathers. N. Engl. J. Med. 311, 149–152 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Rulli, M. & Simell, O. Avidity of islet cell autoantibodies in non-diabetic children and children with insulin-dependent diabetes. Autoimmunity 31, 187–193 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Seewaldt, S. et al. Virus-induced autoimmune diabetes—Most β-cells die through inflammatory cytokines and not perforin from autoreactive (anti-viral) cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. Diabetes 49, 1801–1809 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Martin, S. et al. Brief report—Development of Type 1 diabetes despite severe hereditary B-cell deficiency. N. Engl. J. Med. 345, 1036–1040 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Holz, A. et al. Neither B lymphocytes nor antibodies directed against self antigens of the islets of Langerhans are required for development of virus-induced autoimmune diabetes. J. Immunol. 165, 5945–5953 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Serreze, D.V. et al. B lymphocytes are critical antigen-presenting cells for the initiation of T cell–mediated autoimmune diabetes in nonobese diabetic mice. J. Immunol. 161, 3912–3918 (1998).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California, USA

    Matthias von Herrath

  2. Necker Hopital, Paris, France

    Jean-Francois Bach

Authors
  1. Matthias von Herrath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jean-Francois Bach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

von Herrath, M., Bach, JF. Juvenile autoimmune diabetes: A pathogenic role for maternal antibodies?. Nat Med 8, 331–333 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0402-331

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0402-331

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing