RNA sequencing of CD57+ and CD57- effector memory CD8 T cells in patients with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which insulin-secreting ß cells of the pancreatic islets are selectively destroyed. CD8 T cells are regarded as critical players in mediating ß cell destruction and as a result, considerable effort has been expended to define CD8 T cell behaviour in this disease. The overarching aim of the experiment is to characterize a recently identified autoreactive CD57-positive CD8 T cell subset which is associated with loss of function of islet beta cells in type 1 diabetes, to compare the phenotype of the CD57-positive effector memory CD8 T cells versus the CD57-negative compartment, and provide an insight into the function of these cells in the disease process. To that aim, HLA-A*24 positive patients with T1D -within 2 years of diagnosis- were asked to provide a blood, and following consent, and PBMC were isolated. CD57-positive and CD57-negative CD8 T cell populations were sorted by FACS, and finally, RNA was extracted. Amplified cDNA was obtained and used for the library preparation.