Human islet cell induced T cell lines and clones from diabetic children

T cell lines and clones were derived by coculturing peripheral blood mononuclear cells from young children with newly diagnosed insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) with sonicates of HLA-DR haploidentical human islet cells. These cells proliferated in response to human islet cell sonicates but failed to do so when stimulated with sonicates of human exocrine pancreas or thyroid gland. Preparations of islet cells obtained by repeated freezing and thawing also stimulated proliferation of the lines but purified membrane or protein preparations of the islet failed to induce proliferation, suggesting that determinants recognized by T cells were lost on further purification. This method of deriving T cell lines and clones appears to be significantly easier and quicker than non-antigen cloning using anti CD3.