To investigate the role of T cell–mediated, perforin-dependent cytotoxicity in autoimmune diabetes, perforin-deficient mice were backcrossed with the nonobese diabetes mouse strain. It was found that the incidence of spontaneous diabetes over a 1 yr period was reduced from 77% in perforin +/+ control to 16% in perforin-deficient mice. Also, the disease onset was markedly delayed (median onset of 39.5 versus 19 wk) in the latter. Insulitis with infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells occurred similarly in both groups of animals. Lower incidence and delayed disease onset were also evident in perforin-deficient mice when diabetes was induced by cyclophosphamide injection. Thus, perforin-dependent cytotoxicity is a crucial effector mechanism for β cell elimination by cytotoxic T cells in autoimmune diabetes. However, in the absence of perforin chronic inflammation of the islets can lead to diabetogenic β cell loss by less efficient secondary effector mechanisms.
IL-12 Administration Reveals Diabetogenic T Cells in Genetically Resistant I-Eα-Transgenic Nonobese Diabetic Mice: Resistance to Autoimmune Diabetes Is Associated with Binding of Eα-Derived Peptides to the I-Ag7 Molecule