Induction of autoantigen-specific Th2 and Tr1 regulatory T cells and modulation of autoimmune diabetes

Autoantigen-based immunotherapy can modulate autoimmune diabetes, perhaps due to the activation of Ag-specific regulatory T cells. Studies of these regulatory T cells should help us understand their roles in diabetes and aid in designing a more effective immunotherapy. We have used class II MHC tetramers to isolate Ag-specific T cells from nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice and BALB/c mice treated with glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 peptides (p206 and p221). Based on their cytokine secretion profiles, immunization of NOD mice with the same peptide induced different T cell subsets than in BALB/c mice. Treatment of NOD mice induced not only Th2 cells but also IFN-gamma/IL-10-secreting T regulatory type 1 (Tr1) cells. Adoptive transfer experiments showed that isolated tetramer(+) T cells specific for p206 or p221 could inhibit diabetes development. These cells were able to suppress the in vitro proliferation of other NOD mouse T cells without cell-cell contact. They performed their regulatory functions probably by secreting cytokines, and Abs against these cytokines could block their suppressive effect. Interestingly, the presence of both anti-IL-10 and anti-IFN-gamma could enhance the target cell proliferation, suggesting that Tr1 cells play an important role. Further in vivo experiments showed that the tetramer(+) T cells could block diabetogenic T cell migration into lymph nodes. Therefore, treatment of NOD mice with autoantigen could induce Th2 and Tr1 regulatory cells that can suppress the function and/or block the migration of other T cells, including diabetogenic T cells, and inhibit diabetes development.