Abstract
<p>Hybrid insulin peptides (HIPs) form in pancreatic beta-cells through the formation of peptide bonds between proinsulin fragments and other peptides. HIPs have been identified in pancreatic islets by mass spectrometry and are targeted by CD4 T cells in patients with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), as well as by pathogenic CD4 T cell clones in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. The mechanism of HIP formation is currently poorly understood; however, it is well established that proteases can drive the formation of new peptide bonds in a side reaction during peptide bond hydrolysis. Here, we used a proteomic strategy on enriched insulin granules and identified cathepsin D (CatD) as the primary protease driving the specific formation of HIPs targeted by disease-relevant CD4 T cells in T1D. We also established that NOD islets deficient in cathepsin L (CatL), another protease implicated in the formation of disease-relevant HIPs, contain elevated levels of HIPs, indicating a role for CatL in the proteolytic degradation of HIPs. In summary, our data suggest that CatD may be a therapeutic target in efforts to prevent or slow down the autoimmune destruction of beta-cells mediated by HIP-reactive CD4 T cells in T1D. </p>
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