Novel autoantigens in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterized by recognition of beta cell proteins as self-antigens, called autoantigens (AAgs), by patients' own CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and/or the products of self-reactive B cells, called autoantibodies. These AAgs are divided into two categories on the basis of beta-cell-specificity. The list of the targets associated with beta cell-specific AAgs is continuously growing. Many T1DM-associated AAgs are well characterized and have important clinical applications for disease prediction, diagnosis, and antigen-specific tolerance immunotherapy. Identification of T1DM-associated AAgs provides insight into the pathogenesis of T1DM and to understanding the clinical aspects of the disease. Since many excellent reviews have covered the previously identified T1DM-associated AAgs exhaustedly, here we only focus on several recently discovered T1DM-AAgs (PDX1, ZnT8, CHGA, and IAAP).