Administration of a determinant of preproinsulin can induce regulatory T cells and suppress anti-islet autoimmunity in NOD mice

Antigen-specific immunotherapy is expected to be an ideal strategy for treating type 1 diabetes (T1D). We investigated the therapeutic efficacy of a peptide in the leader sequence of preproinsulin, which was selected because of its binding affinity to the MHC I-Ag7 molecule. Preproinsulin-1 L7–24 peptide (L7–24) emulsified in Freund's incomplete adjuvant was administered subcutaneously to NOD mice. Administration of L7–24 increased the proportion of regulatory T cells in the spleen. Splenocytes of NOD mice immunized with this peptide secreted IL-4 and IL-10 in response to L7–24. This peptide also significantly prevented the development of diabetes and cured some newly diabetic NOD mice without recurrence. L7–24 peptide, which has a high affinity for pockets of I-Ag7, induced regulatory T cells and showed therapeutic effects. This peptide may provide a new approach for developing antigen-specific immunotherapy for autoimmune diabetes.