Title:Biology and Natural History of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Volume: 19
Issue: 3
Author(s): Jenner Chrystian Veríssimo de Azevedo, Thales Allyrio Araújo de Medeiros Fernandes*, Gilson Aquino Cavalcante, Iluska Almeida Carneiro Martins de Medeiros, Daniel Carlos Ferreira Lanza, Joselio Maria Galvão de Araújo, Fabiana Lima Bezerra and José Veríssimo Fernandes
Affiliation:
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, State University of Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró, Brazil
Keywords:
Dysglycemia, diabetes mellitus, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune diabetes, juvenile diabetes, metabolic disease.
Abstract: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a clinical condition characterized by insufficient insulin production
due to progressive loss of pancreatic islet β-cells mediated by an autoimmune response.
This deregulation of the immune system is caused by the action of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental
factors in varying combinations for each individual. Although the inflammation of the
islets with immune cell infiltration, known as insulitis, is an important element in pathogenesis, other
factors are necessary for disease initiation. Associations with variants of HLA and other genes
related to immune system function, mainly haplotypes HLA-DR3-DQ2 and HLA-DR4-DQ8, are
more evident. The influence of polymorphisms and epigenetic modifications, as well as the microbiome,
is convincing proof of the existence of a complex interaction between genetic, immune, and
environmental factors in the etiology and pathogenesis of this metabolic disorder. Loss of selftolerance
to autoimmunity is a critical point in the development of the disease, and regulatory T
cells play a key role in this process. Thus, any failure of these cells, either due to an insufficient
number or altered expression of cytokines and transcription factors, may be the trigger for the onset
of the disease. The protective action of regulatory T cells is controlled by gene expression that is
modulated by epigenetic modifications, including the dysregulation of noncoding RNAs. This review
takes an updated approach to the natural history of type 1 diabetes, focusing on the factors involved
in the etiology and pathogenesis.