THE HETEROGENEITY OF WHOLE ISLET-CELL CYTOPLASMIC ANTIBODIES EVIDENCED BY ABSORPTION TEST WITH GLUTAMIC-ACID DECARBOXYLASE

A recent report identified two islet cell cytoplasmic antibody subclasses using an immunohistochemical method. The islet cytoplasmic antibody subclass which reacts with only Beta-cells was termed ‘Beta-cell islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies’ and another islet cell cytoplasmic antibody subclass which reacts with Beta and non-Beta cells was called ‘whole islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies’. The whole islet cell cytoplasmic antibody reactivity with pancreatic islet has been shown not to be abolished by pre-incubation with rat brain homogenate. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effect of purified glutamic acid decarboxylase to islet cell cytoplasmic antibody reactivity among whole islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies and assessed the heterogeneity of islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies. Autoantibodies to 64,000 Mr islet cell protein (64 K antibodies) were also determined by conventional method. Sera from 17 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients containing whole islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies with more than 20 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation units were used. In 11 (78.6%) of 14 sera positive for 64 K antibodies, the reactivity of islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies was markedly blocked by pre-incubation with purified glutamic acid decarboxylase. In contrast, none of the 64 K antibody-negative sera were blocked. All of the patients showed similar clinical characteristics regardless of the inhibitory effect of glutamic acid decarboxylase on islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies, except for islet cell cytoplasmic antibody titer and glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody titer. The mean log 2 islet cell cytoplasmic antibody titer was 2.4 ± 0.6 (mean ± SD) JDF unit in the ‘markedly blocked’ group and 1.6 ± 0.3 (mean ± SD) in the ‘never blocked’ group. The islet cell cytoplasmic antibody titer was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the former, and the mean glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody titer was 624 ± 127.0 (mean ± SE) units in the ‘markedly blocked’ group and 127 ± 55.5 (mean ± SE) in the ‘never blocked’ group. The glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody titer was also significantly higher(P<0.05) in the former. We demonstrated here that some whole islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies are absorbed by purified glutamic acid decarboxylase, suggesting heterogeneity of islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies among the 64 K glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody positive group. © 1994 Academic Press. All rights reserved.