Transcriptome profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with type I diabetes and their first grade relatives

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is considered to be a Th1 autoimmune disease characterised by an absolute lack of insulin caused by an autoimmune destruction of the insulin producing pancreatic beta cells. Th1 lymphocytes are responsible for the infiltration of the islets of Langerhans and for the cytokine release that supports cytotoxic (Tc) lymphocytes to mediate destruction of the beta cells. The preclinical disease stage is characterized by the generation of the self-reactive lymphocytes that infiltrate the pancreas and selectively destroy the insulin-producing beta cells present in the islets. Other cellular immune mechanisms regarding immunoregulation and antigen presentation and processing are involved in T1D pathogenesis as well. Our aim was to identify genes involved in the corresponding signalling cascades, especially those which may serve as promising diagnostic tools for the identification of persons in the prediabetic phase of the disease. We addressed the question by analysing gene expression profiles of freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells in type 1 diabetes patients, their first degree relatives divided according to their autoantibody status, and healthy controls. 9 T1D-patients versus 10 first degree relatives versus 10 healthy controls