Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39556799›Full record

ArticleDiabetes2025

Type 1 Diabetes Depends on CD4-Driven Expression of the Transcriptional Repressor Bcl6.

Dudley H McNitt, Jonathan M Williams, Joseph G Santitoro, Jacob Kim, James W Thomas, Rachel H Bonami

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diabetes, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Dudley H McNittDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.ORCID 0000-0001-8592-4015
Jonathan M WilliamsDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
Joseph G SantitoroDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
Jacob KimDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
James W ThomasDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.ORCID 0000-0002-2098-6458
Rachel H BonamiDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.ORCID 0000-0001-7575-6943

Funding

Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment Research ProgramP30CA068485 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Ben Ho Park · 1995 to 2026
$172.8M
Translational Analysis CoreP30DK058404 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI MARY Kay WASHINGTON · 2002 to 2026
$29.9M
Vanderbilt Diabetes Research CenterP30DK020593 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI OWEN P MCGUINNESS · 2012 to 2026
$29.3M
Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's HealthK12HD043483 · NICHD · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI HARTMANN, KATHERINE E, MAJOR, AMY S · 2002 to 2023
$10.3M
Translational Research in Endocrinology And Diabetes (TREAD)T32DK007061 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Sarah S Jaser, KEVIN D NISWENDER · 1986 to 2026
$8.0M
Selection &Regulation of B Lymphocytes in IDDMR01AI051448 · NIAID · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BONAMI, RACHEL H · 2003 to 2022
$7.3M
Interdisciplinary Training in Rheumatic DiseasesT32AR059039 · NIAMS · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI Tracy Minan Frech, AMY S MAJOR · 2010 to 2026
$4.3M
Vanderbilt Student Research Training ProgramT35DK007383 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI William Heerman · 1986 to 2026
$4.1M
JDRF 2-SRA-2023-1453-S-BJDRF 3-PDF-2024-1495-A-NNCI NIH HHS P30 CA068485NHLBI NIH HHS R01 AI051448NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI051448NIAMS NIH HHS T32 AR059039NICHD NIH HHS K12 HD043483NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK020593NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK058404NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK20593NIDDK NIH HHS T32 DK007061NIDDK NIH HHS T35 DK007383
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

High-affinity islet autoantibodies predict type 1 diabetes in mice and humans and implicate germinal centers (GCs) in disease pathogenesis. T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are increased in individuals with type 1 diabetes and alterations in Tfh-like cells in the peripheral blood predicted individual responses to abatacept. Tfh cells support GC responses and depend on the transcriptional repressor BCL6 for their maturation. Therefore, we hypothesized that CD4-driven deletion of Bcl6 would disrupt essential T- and B-cell interactions in GCs to prevent type 1 diabetes. To test this hypothesis, we generated Bcl6fl/fl-CD4.Cre.NOD mice and found they were completely protected against diabetes. Insulitis severity and tertiary lymphoid structure organization were preserved in the pancreas of Bcl6fl/fl-CD4.Cre.NOD mice, which did not show decreases in CD4+, CD8+, and B-cell numbers in the pancreas and draining lymph nodes, relative to control Bcl6fl/fl.NOD mice. CD4-driven loss of functional BCL6 resulted in significantly reduced GC B-cell and Tfh-cell numbers in the pancreatic lymph nodes and pancreas at late prediabetic intervals. Spontaneous anti-insulin autoantibody was blunted in Bcl6fl/fl-CD4.Cre.NOD mice. These data highlight BCL6 as a novel therapeutic target in type 1 diabetes. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: Germinal center B cells and CD4+ T follicular helper cells are implicated in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and depend upon the transcriptional repressor BCL6 for their maturation. This study tests the dependence of type 1 diabetes development on BCL6 expression in CD4+ cells. Data presented here show that CD4-driven loss of Bcl6 blocks germinal center formation, spontaneous insulin autoantibody production, and type 1 diabetes in nonobese diabetic mice, despite normal tertiary lymphoid structure formation in pancreatic islets. This study highlights BCL6 as a potential immunomodulatory target in type 1 diabetes.

Indexed as

CD4-Positive T-LymphocytesDiabetes Mellitus, Type 1Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6AnimalsB-LymphocytesFemaleGerminal CenterMiceMice, Inbred NODPancreasBcl6 protein, mouseProto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6

Identifiers

PMID39556799
PMCPMC12097460

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.