Autoreactive CD8 T cells in NOD mice exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity but restricted TCR gene usage. Life Sci Alliance 2022 Oct;5(10)
Date
06/07/2022Pubmed ID
35667687Pubmed Central ID
PMC9170949DOI
10.26508/lsa.202201503Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85131338160 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 2 CitationsAbstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder defined by CD8 T cell-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells. We have previously shown that diabetogenic CD8 T cells in the islets of non-obese diabetic mice are phenotypically heterogeneous, but clonal heterogeneity remains relatively unexplored. Here, we use paired single-cell RNA and T-cell receptor sequencing (scRNA-seq and scTCR-seq) to characterize autoreactive CD8 T cells from the islets and spleens of non-obese diabetic mice. scTCR-seq demonstrates that CD8 T cells targeting the immunodominant β-cell epitope IGRP206-214 exhibit restricted TCR gene usage. scRNA-seq identifies six clusters of autoreactive CD8 T cells in the islets and six in the spleen, including memory and exhausted cells. Clonal overlap between IGRP206-214-reactive CD8 T cells in the islets and spleen suggests these cells may circulate between the islets and periphery. Finally, we identify correlations between TCR genes and T-cell clonal expansion and effector fate. Collectively, our work demonstrates that IGRP206-214-specific CD8 T cells are phenotypically heterogeneous but clonally restricted, raising the possibility of selectively targeting these TCR structures for therapeutic benefit.
Author List
Kasmani MY, Ciecko AE, Brown AK, Petrova G, Gorski J, Chen YG, Cui WAuthor
Yi-Guang Chen PhD Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsCD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental
Genes, T-Cell Receptor
Mice
Mice, Inbred NOD
Mice, Transgenic
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
