Genome-Wide Gene Expression Profiles in the Pancreatic Lymph Nodes of At-Risk Autoantibody Positive Individuals

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a polygenic autoimmune disorder caused by autoreactive T cells that recognize pancreatic islet antigens and subsequently destroy insulin-producing β-cells. Pancreatic lymph nodes (PLN) are an essential site for the development of T1D, where tolerance to pancreatic self-antigens is first broken and the autoimmune responses are amplified. The purpose of this study was to identify candidate genes and pathways in the PLN that may contribute to the pathogenesis of T1D. Microarray analysis was performed on the PLN of human non-diabetic healthy controls (n=7) and at-risk autoantibody-positive subjects (n=13).