Altered B cell homeostasis and toll-like receptor 9-driven response in type 1 diabetes carriers of the C1858T PTPN22 allelic variant: implications in the disease pathogenesis

• Published in: PloS one 2014-10, Vol.9 (10), p.e110755
• Main Authors: Gianchecchi, Elena, Crinò, Antonino, Giorda, Ezio, Luciano, Rosa, Perri, Valentina, Russo, Anna Lo, Cappa, Marco, Rosado, M Manuela, Fierabracci, Alessandra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive immunity; Adolescent; Adult; Alleles; Antigens; Arthritis; Autoimmunity; B cells; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; B-Lymphocytes - pathology; Beta cells; Biological response modifiers; Biology and life sciences; Carriers; Cell Differentiation; Child; CpG islands; CpG Islands - genetics; Dendritic cells; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - genetics; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - immunology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - pathology; Diabetics; DNA; DNA, Bacterial - administration & dosage; Drug therapy; Endocrinology; Female; Gene polymorphism; Genetic Association Studies; Genetic diversity; Genetic polymorphisms; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genetic variance; Health aspects; Homeostasis; Humans; Immune response; Immune system; Immunity; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulins; Immunological memory; Immunology; Innate immunity; Insulin-Secreting Cells - immunology; Insulin-Secreting Cells - pathology; Interferon; Laboratories; Lupus; Lymphocyte receptors; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Macrophages; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Memory cells; Pancreas; Pancreatic beta cells; Pathogenesis; Patients; Peripheral blood; Phenotypes; Phosphatase; Plasma cells; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 22 - genetics; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 22 - immunology; Protein-tyrosine-phosphatase; Proteins; Rodents; Stimulation; Systemic lupus erythematosus; T cell receptors; T cells; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - pathology; Toll-Like Receptor 9 - genetics; Toll-Like Receptor 9 - immunology; Toll-like receptors; Tyrosine
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110755

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease caused by the destruction of pancreatic beta cells by autoreactive T cells. Among the genetic variants associated with type 1 diabetes, the C1858T (Lyp) polymorphism of the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) gene alters the function of T cells but also of B cells in innate and adaptive immunity. The Lyp variant was shown to diminish interferon production and responses upon Toll-like receptor stimulation in macrophages and dendritic cells, possibly leading to uncontrolled infections as triggers of the diabetogenic process. The aim of this study was to unravel the yet uncharacterized effects that the variant could exert on the immune and autoimmune responses, particularly regarding the B cell phenotype, in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of diabetic patients and healthy controls in basal conditions and after unmethylated bacterial DNA CpG stimulation. The presence of the Lyp variant resulted in a significant increase in the percentage of transitional B cells in C/T carriers patients and controls compared to C/C patients and controls, in C/T carrier patients compared to C/C controls and in C/T carrier patients compared to C/C patients. A significant reduction in the memory B cells was also observed in the presence of the risk variant. After four days of CpG stimulation, there was a significant increase in the abundance of IgM+ memory B cells in C/T carrier diabetics than in C/C subjects and in the groups of C/T carrier individuals than in C/C individuals. IgM- memory B cells tended to differentiate more precociously into plasma cells than IgM+ memory B cells in heterozygous C/T subjects compared to the C/C subjects. The increased Toll-like receptor response that led to expanded T cell-independent IgM+ memory B cells should be further investigated to determine the putative contribution of innate immune responses in the disease pathogenesis.