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White blood cells make antibodies against pathogens or other invaders in healthy people. Pancreatic beta cells produce insulin, the hormone that provides fuel to the body’s cells by transporting glucose.
B lymphocytes plays a major role in activating the autoreactive T cells (T lymphocytes) that then destroy the pancreatic beta cells leading to type 1 diabetes.
These damaged cells fail to take glucose into cells, the glucose build up in the blood can damage nerves, blood vessels and organs.
The researchers used a gene manipulation approach to identify a potential metabolic target that would eliminate the B cells that initiate diabetes.
They demonstrated that non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice treated with a specific (AID/RAD51) pathway inhibitor had more of B cells that were capable of suppressing diabetogenic T cell and reduced T1D development.
Antibody production of B cells turn on the gene known as activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), which acts as a molecular scissors that cut the chromosomes within the B-cell.
