Analysis of pancreas-infiltrating T cells in diabetic NOD mice: fusion with BW5147 yields a high frequency of islet-reactive hybridomas.

Diabetes in NOD mice is an autoimmune disease which is characterized by the infiltration of islets of Langerhans by large numbers of T cells. Some of these infiltrating T cells are clearly islet-cells-specific; however, many or most of these T cells could be attracted nonspecificity into these lesions. To study NOD pancreas-infiltrating T cells, we fused these cells with BW5147 to make T cell hybridomas. Ninety-four pancreas-derived T hybrids were analyzed of which 12 responded specifically to islet cells by secreting IL-2. Only CD3+, CD4+ hybrids responded to islet cells in our assay, and a large proportion of these hybrids were islet-cell reactive. T cell receptor (TCR) V beta element usage was heterogeneous in islet-reactive hybridomas.