Comparison of gene expression profiles in NOD and Idd9 CD4+ T cells

Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice congenic for B10 derived genes in the Idd9 region of chromosome 4 are highly protected from the development of diabetes. In order to identify possible candidate genes within the Idd9 susceptibility region and possible downstream mediators of protection, we compared gene expression between NOD and Idd9 CD4+ T-cells. CD4+ T-cells with an activated phenotype (CD44-high/CD62L-low) were sorted from the pancreatic lymph nodes of female 8-week old mice. Mice were bred at Taconic farms and were line 905 (NOD.B10-Idd9 congenic) and line 6359 (NOD-like control strain with a B10 congenic region on chromosome 1 which does not modify diabetes incidence). Three replicate samples were prepared, each from four pooled pancreatic lymph nodes. CD4+CD44-highCD62L-low T-cells were sorted from each sample.