Type 1 diabetes is an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by immune-mediated beta cell destruction in pancreatic islets, which results in deficient insulin production. B cells have a dual role in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis. A pathogenic role for B cells has been widely described and is supported by the observation of a delay in the loss of C-peptide following B-cell depletion by Rituximab, in the first year after diagnosis. However, it is now clear that B cells, under certain conditions, can delay and prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes as demonstrated in mouse models. In this chapter, we describe the methods required to study the phenotype and function of regulatory B cells in the context of diabetes.
Keywords: B cells; Dendritic cells; NOD mouse; Regulation; Type 1 diabetes.