Type 1 diabetes induction in humanized mice

Significance Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is known to be caused by immune destruction of insulin-producing β cells, but the disease pathogenesis remains poorly understood largely because of limitations in animal models to study the immunopathology. Here we established a humanized mouse T1D model, in which diabetes is driven by human T cells recognizing the HLA-DQ8–restricted insulin B chain peptide consisting of amino acids 9–23 (InsB:9–23). This study not only demonstrates the capacity of InsB:9–23-specific human CD4 T cells to initiate diabetes but also provides a preclinical humanized mouse model that has the potential to be used in studies of the immunopathogenesis and immunotherapy of T1D.