Jennifer Wang's Lab Sheds New Light on the Relationship Between Viral Infections and Type 1 Diabetes
Date Posted: Thursday, October 28, 2021
The laboratory of physician-scientist Jennifer Wang, MD, defined how deleting components of the innate immune antiviral response alters immune cells to protect against autoimmunity. The Wang lab investigates the relationship between viral infections and type 1 diabetes (T1D). Several viruses have been associated with T1D, including enteroviruses, such as Coxsackievirus. They are conducting extensive research using a novel rat model of T1D to study viruses as a possible trigger of the disease.
“Diabetes in our rats share similarities with hallmarks of the human disease, including lack of sex bias and juvenile onset,” said Dr. Wang. “My lab is exploring whether we can protect against diabetes onset by altering the levels of innate and adaptive immune cells before disease development.”
The study, published in ImmunoHorizons, was led by postdoctoral researcher Natasha Qaisar, PhD, and defined how deleting components of the innate immune antiviral response alters immune cells to protect against autoimmunity. The innate immune system produces important antiviral cytokines, including type I interferon (IFN), which binds to receptors on cell surfaces to limit viral infection, providing the first line of defense. Type I IFN has essential roles in inflammation, immunoregulation, and T-cell responses and has been linked to beta-cell autoimmunity and T1D development.
The study used a model in which viral infection triggered diabetes in rats. The removal of type I IFN signaling resulted in dynamic shifts in innate and adaptive immune cells. They demonstrated how this protects the rats from disease, providing insights into how type I IFN drives autoimmunity.
“We’re working to define immune cell processes that precede the damage to beta cells by the immune system,” added Dr. Wang. “Understanding the process leading to autoimmune responses to viral infections will pave the way to the development of approaches to prevent the onset of T1D.”