Anti-Gut Secretory Cell Epitopes monoclonal antibody, clone HKS6D9/4

The biochemical composition of the apical membranes of epithelial M cells overlying the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) is still largely unknown. We have prepared monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against carbonate-washed plasma membranes from epithelial cells detached with EDTA from rabbit appendix, a tissue particularly rich in GALT. As determined by immunofluorescence microscopy, several MAbs specifically recognized either M cells or enterocyte-like cells of the domes from rabbit appendix, sacculus rotundus, and Peyer's patches. M cells were identified by their large ventral pocket containing lymphoid cells and by specific labeling with antivimentin. Among various characterized MAbs, MAb 104 recognized rabbit immunoglobulins and was used as an apical marker for M cells in the rabbit appendix, MAb 58 selectively stained an integral membrane glycoprotein of greater than 205 kDa located at the apex of M cells, and MAb 214 stained a smaller soluble glycoprotein associated with the apical surfaces from neighboring enterocytes. In addition, both MAbs 58 and 214 also labeled luminal mucus and secretory granules in goblet cells. The selective association of mucin-related molecules at the surfaces of either M cells or enterocyte-like cells of the follicle associated epithelium suggests that specific carbohydrate antigens are differentially expressed by epithelial cells and could account for the differential binding properties of pathogens.

Type 1 diabetes results from the autoimmune-mediated destruction of insulin-secreting beta cells, leading to beta cell loss and insulin deficiency. Presentation of peptides derived from beta cell proteins to autoreactive lymphocytes is critical for the development of disease, and the list of antigens recognized is increasing. A number of these proteins are found within the beta cell secretory granules, which are transiently exposed to the immune system during normal cellular function. How the interplay of environmental and genetic determinants culminates in destructive autoimmunity remains to be clearly defined. Nonconventional presentation of peptide ligands, posttranslational modification of peptides, and the role of the gut microbiome in the development of the immune system are all considered central topics in disease pathogenesis. Each of these may provide a mechanism by which presentation of antigenic peptides in the target tissue differs from presentation in the thymus, allowing autoreactive cells to escape tolerance induction. The high metabolic demand on pancreatic islets, the high concentration of granule proteins, and the susceptibility of islets to cellular stress may all contribute to the presentation of abnormal ligands in the pancreas. Moreover, the finding that small molecules can alter the repertoire of peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex molecules provides a tantalizing hypothesis for the presentationof autoantigenic peptides in the presence of microbial or endogenous metabolites. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the immunopeptidome of beta cells and the key factors that may influence presentation of beta cell antigens to the immune system.