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Brief Definitive Report |
Correspondence to: Hugh O. McDevitt, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5124. Tel:650-725-4019 Fax:650-723-9180 E-mail:hughmcd{at}leland.stanford.edu.
To assess the role of lymphotoxin-ß receptor (LTßR) in diabetes pathogenesis, we expressed an LTßRFc fusion protein in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. The fusion protein was expressed in the embryo, reached high levels for the first 2 wk after birth, and then declined progressively with age. High expression of LTßRFc blocked diabetes development but not insulitis. After the decline in chimeric protein concentration, mice became diabetic with kinetics similar to the controls. Early expression of fusion protein resulted in disrupted splenic architecture. However, primary follicles and follicular dendritic cells, but not marginal zones, developed in aged mice. Hence, LTßR signaling is required for diabetes development and regulates follicular and marginal zone structures via qualitatively or quantitatively distinct mechanisms.
Key Words: autoimmune disease, tumor necrosis factor, LIGHT, lymphoid development, marginal zone
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