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- The exact mechanisms involved in the development of type 1 diabetes are still somewhat mysterious.
- Some scientists have focused on the role of an inflammatory cytokine called chemokine ligand 2 (CCL-2).
- However, the exact nature of the relationship between CCL-2 and type 1 diabetes is unclear.
- A recent study adds new details and may provide a new avenue for treating or slowing the onset of type 1 diabetes.
According to American Diabetes Association, approximately 1.6 million people in the United States have type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas. Beta cells, which produce insulin, are arranged in clusters called islets.
Although scientists have understood the autoimmune nature of type 1 diabetes for some time, it is still not clear why the immune system should activate the pancreas.
As research continues, some researchers are looking for clues about the relationship between genes and the immune system.
New research, which appears in the Journal of Translational Autoimmunity, studies the role of a particular gene in the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
Scientists have already implicated a particular part of a chromosome in type 1 diabetes. However, they didn’t understand exactly why this region – known as the 3p21.31 locus – influences risk. The current study adds more details.
This region of the genome codes for a wide variety of proteins, including a receptor called CCR2. When CCR2 binds to the cytokine CCL-2, it
While scientists have previously studied the relationship between CCL-2 and type 1 diabetes, the results have been difficult to interpret.
Researchers agree that CCL-2 levels differ between people with type 1 diabetes and those without. However, some studies have found increase levels, while others have shown
To study this puzzling relationship, the researchers took data from the Youth Diabetes Autoimmunity Study (DAISY). DAISY began in 1993 and has followed 310 infants at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes from birth.
Of these, 42 developed autoantibodies against the islets, but did not develop type 1 diabetes. In other words, their immune system generated a response to insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. , but had not yet developed type 1 diabetes. The authors refer to this group as non-progressors.
Forty-eight of the participants developed type 1 diabetes – the authors call this group the progressors. The researchers compared these participants to a control group of 220 people without anti-islet antibodies or type 1 diabetes.
They found that blood levels of the cytokine CCL-2 were significantly lower in progressors and non-progressors compared to controls. As autoantibody positive individuals progressed to developing type 1 diabetes, scientists noted a steady drop in CCL-2 levels.
They also showed that these two groups had an increased number of CCR2 receptors, which binds to CCL-2 on their immune cells.
The authors hypothesize that when more receptors are available, more CCL-2 binds to these receptors. When it binds, it produces inflammation and damages the pancreas. And, because CCL-2 is bound to a receptor, the levels of free-floating CCL-2 in the blood decrease.
The authors conclude that inhibition of CCR2 may delay the development of type 1 diabetes in individuals with islet autoantibodies. They write:
“Inhibition of CCR2 could interfere with the recruitment of immune cells, including T cells and monocytes, into the pancreatic islet, thereby delaying progression to islet autoimmunity.”
Dr Faye Riley, Senior Research Communications Officer at Diabetes UK, spoke with MNT on the importance of understanding the role of genes in type 1 diabetes. She said:
“Scientists are developing type 1 diabetes risk calculators that use genetic information to identify children who have a greater chance of developing the disease at some point in their lives. “
“Right now, risk scores are used to find people who might benefit from participating in a clinical trial of immunotherapy to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes. [the] future – once immunotherapies are approved for use outside a research setting – genetic risk calculators could be used […] as a screening tool to identify children who would benefit from treatment.
“Identifying genes linked to type 1 diabetes allows us to identify those most at risk of developing the disease,” said Dr. Riley. MNT.
“Knowing more about the genetics behind type 1 diabetes could also help us better understand what triggers the disease, opening the door to new prevention strategies and new treatments,” said Dr. Riley.
Although the researchers conducted this study on a small sample of people, the data seems to indicate that if CCL-2 is inhibited, it may be possible to reduce the chances of developing type 1 diabetes. Of course, more research is available. necessary before this approach reaches the clinic.
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