Higher FoxP3 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of GAD65 or IA-2 autoantibody-positive compared with autoantibody-negative persons

The role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in type 1 diabetes has been studied extensively. The most prevalent way to de ne Tregs has been by their surface expression of CD4 and CD25. As currently the transcription factor FoxP3 and the low expression of CD127 are regarded to be the most specific markers of Tregs, we analysed the number of Tregs defined by these molecules in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of diabetic patients and healthy controls. The gene expression of transforming growth factor beta and two isoforms of FoxP3 was measured as well. There were no significant differences between diabetic patients and healthy controls regarding the number of Tregs, or the expression of FoxP3 isoforms and TGF beta in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. However, we found significantly higher expression of both full-length and Delta 2FoxP3 in study subjects, positive for either GAD65 or IA-2 autoantibodies. The ratio of the expression of different isoforms was not changed. This study shows the possible role of FoxP3 in the development of tissue characteristic humoral immunity in type 1 diabetes.