2005 Volume 69 Issue 12 Pages 2312-2318
Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice spontaneously develop type 1 diabetes with a strong female predilection. Using co-culture systems with both female and male spleen cells, we found that spleen cells derived from male NOD mice suppress autoantigen (glutamic acid decarboxylase) induced production of interferon-γ of female cells in vitro. In addition, this suppression appeared to be mediated by a soluble factor(s) produced by male cells in response to the same antigen. Our experimental systems might be useful for further understanding sex differences in autoimmunity as well as in the basic immune response.
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