Conserved epitopes in the protein tyrosine phosphatase family of diabetes autoantigens

Abstract

IA2 and phogrin are important targets of humoral and cell-mediated autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes in man. They belong to a conserved subfamily of transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) associated with the regulatory pathway of secretion. To examine potential cross-reactivity between PTP family members we tested sera from T1D patients for reactivity to IA2, and the Drosophila (FLYDA) and C. elegans (IDA) orthologs using radioimmunoprecipitation assays of (35)S Met-labeled in vitro translated products of the cytosolic domains of these proteins. Approximately 80% of sera reacted with at least one probe. Of these, 82.5% showed reactivity to human IA2, 74.1% to FLYDA, and 33.7% to IDA. The majority of sera that bound FLYDA and/or IDA also recognized IA2. This raises the possibility that in some cases reactivity to IA2 may have arisen by molecular mimicry.