Scientists Shed New Light On Link Between 'Killer Cells' and Diabetes

ScienceDaily ^ | Jan. 15, 2012 | NA

[neverdem]

Killer T-cells in the human body which help protect us from disease can inadvertently destroy cells that produce insulin, new research has uncovered.

The study provides the first evidence of this mechanism in action and could offer new understanding of the cause of Type 1 diabetes.

Professor Andy Sewell, an expert in human T-cells from Cardiff University's School of Medicine worked alongside diabetes experts from King's College London to better understand the role of T-cells in the development of Type 1 diabetes.

The team isolated a T-cell from a patient with Type 1 diabetes to view a unique molecular interaction which results in the killing of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

"Type 1 diabetes is a result of the body's own immune system attacking and destroying the cells in the pancreas that manufacture the hormone insulin. Insulin controls blood sugar levels and a lack of insulin is fatal if untreated," said Professor Sewell.

"The mechanism by which the body attacks its own insulin producing cells in the pancreas is not fully understood. Our findings show how killer T-cells might play an important role in autoimmune diseases like diabetes and we've secured the first ever glimpse of the mechanism by which killer T-cells can attack our own body cells to cause disease," he added.

Co-author of the study, Professor Mark Peakman from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust said: "This first sight of how killer T-cells make contact with the cells that make insulin is very enlightening, and increases our understanding of how Type 1 diabetes may arise.

"This knowledge will be used in the future to help us predict who might get the disease and also to develop new approaches to prevent it. Our..."

[neverdem]

The presser links one of the abstracts after the reference. That DOI number is the link. At the abstract, it appears you can access a FReebie in the right sidebar. This link here goes to the Nature Immunology abstract.

Structural basis for the killing of human beta cells by CD8⁺ T cells in type 1 diabetes

[neverdem]

FReepmail me if you want on or off my combined microbiology/immunology and/or diabetes ping lists.

[Tammy8]

Thank you for posting this, my grandson age 9 has type 1 and I so hope there will be a cure or at least improved treatment for him. Such an ugly thing for a child to suffer from.

[Tammy8]

Thank you for posting this, my grandson age 9 has type 1 and I so hope there will be a cure or at least improved treatment for him. Such an ugly thing for a child to suffer from.

[editor-surveyor]

Bump for later.

[chris_bdba]

I had a really bad case of steph throat about 3 months before I was diagnosed with type 1 41 years ago.I remember how bad it was I couldn’t even swallow.THat was in mid April and I went in tot he hospital Aug 1st.I had symptoms for a while before that and was down to 50 pounds at 9 yo.

[chris_bdba]

I was 9yo too when I was diagnosed.It does end ones childhood rapidly.

[Myrddin]

bump

[raygun]

I’ve had a very strong suspicion for quite some - almost 30 yrs - time now that diabetes possbily is an autoimmune disorder.

I wonder if diabetes is predominantly an anaerobic excercise issue, followed by genes, followed by excessive inake of glucose (or glucose producing metabolites). Does it matter?

Does the non-smoker, alchohol, sugar, pharmaceutical consuming members of society have a right to have money ripped out of their pockets - by the gov’t - to save a few sorry assed lives?

I don’t understand why it hasn’t been proclaimed to be law of the land that citizens wear Birkenstocks all the time (or drink spritzers when ever and whatever).

My rant notwithstanding, I’m going to have to examine your link a bit though to come to any sort of feeling on the matter one way or the other.

Dunno what you may know ‘bout the efficacy of Vit C, but there is empirical data to suggest Vit D may be a major contributor to resistance of various diseases (microbial or otherwise). It is unfortunate that existing regulation & law prohibits ANYBODY from suggesting that non-drugs may be prophalaxis, cure or beneficial other than prevention of nutrient deficiency.

[acapesket]

It’s pretty simple FRiend. Lyme’s disease has travelled all over the planet inadvertantly but if we told the truth about how it leads to CFS, Fibro, ALS and Alz it might kill tourism. Borrelia Burgdofieri is like aids, try and get an accurate test for it however..good luck.

[RebelTex]

bttt

[pa_dweller]

I’ve had a very strong suspicion for quite some - almost 30 yrs - time now that diabetes possbily is an autoimmune disorder.

You're not alone. http://bacteriality.com/2008/04/23/diabetes/

[pa_dweller]

I’ve had a very strong suspicion for quite some - almost 30 yrs - time now that diabetes possbily is an autoimmune disorder.

You're not alone. http://bacteriality.com/2008/04/23/diabetes/

[Tammy8]

My grandson was 7 and recovering from a really nasty stomach bug when he went into DKA, into a coma and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. When the doctors explained type 1 to us they said it was believed to be an autoimmune disease and this research seems to confirm that. Doctors did say they thought he had diabetes for a while before being diagnosed because of his A1C levels, but he had also had a bronchial infection a few months before so it could have began at that time and his stomach bug only made his symptoms far worse.

[Tammy8]

I wonder if diabetes is predominantly an anaerobic excercise issue, followed by genes, followed by excessive inake of glucose (or glucose producing metabolites).

From my understanding all of the above play a role in type 2 diabetes, not so much type 1. My husband has type 2 and my grandson has type 1. My husband went from a very active lifestyle to a pretty sedate one due to health issues and continued to eat as he did when very active- gained weight and was diagnosed with type 2 after a couple of years of that lifestyle. He changed his diet and got more exercise and now his tests are normal. Grandson was not the typical sugar eating non excercising child- in fact he was the total opposite. He was a high energy very active outdoorsy child and ate a very healthy diet and at the age of 7 was diagnosed as type 1 diabetic when he went into a coma. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are really not the same, in fact I think they are so different it is confusing to call them type 1 and 2.

[chris_bdba]

THis type of diabetes strike children and has nothing to do with glucose intake.Usually these kids are underweight when diagnosed so I’m a little put off by your accusation of us as being “sorry assed lives”?

[chris_bdba]

I agree with you that they should not be called different tip of the same disease.I get so mad when people being to rant about how diabetes is self fault when they completely ignore that many of us were little kids who did nothing at all.

[chris_bdba]

I agree with you that they should not be called different types of the same disease.I get so mad when people being to rant about how diabetes is self fault when they completely ignore that many of us were little kids who did nothing at all.

[Tammy8]

I get so mad when people being to rant about how diabetes is self fault when they completely ignore that many of us were little kids who did nothing at all.

That makes me angry too, people really need to find out more about it before they blame those that have diabetes. Even in type 2 it is not always the lifestyle so people shouldn't judge.