Cutting Edge: Origins, Recruitment, and Regulation of CD11c+ Cells in Inflamed Islets of Autoimmune Diabetes Mice

In NOD mice, CD11c⁺ cells increase greatly with islet inflammation and contribute to autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β cells. In this study, we investigated their origin and mechanism of recruitment. CD11c⁺ cells in inflamed islets resembled classical dendritic cells based on their transcriptional profile. However, the majority of these cells were not from the Zbtb46-dependent dendritic-cell lineage. Instead, monocyte precursors could give rise to CD11c⁺ cells in inflamed islets. Chemokines Ccl5 and Ccl8 were persistently elevated in inflamed islets and the influx of CD11c⁺ cells was partially dependent on their receptor Ccr5. Treatment with islet Ag-specific regulatory T cells led to a marked decrease of Ccl5 and Ccl8, and a reduction of monocyte recruitment. These results implicate a monocytic origin of CD11c⁺ cells in inflamed islets and suggest that therapeutic regulatory T cells directly or indirectly regulate their influx by altering the chemotactic milieu in the islets.