Authors: K Buschard T Horn K Aaen K Josefsen H Persson P Fredman
Publish Date: 1996/06/01
Volume: 39, Issue: 6, Pages: 658-666
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the distribution in the eye of sulphatide an acid glycolipid which has previously been demonstrated in islets of Langerhans nervous tissue and in kidney glomeruli of diabetic patients and against which antibodies have been found in patients with newly diagnosed insulindependent diabetes mellitus A specific monoclonal antibody Sulph I was used for detection of sulphatide by thinlayer chromatography and light and electron microscope immunohistochemistry A distinct patchy staining was found in the choroid layer and the ciliary processes The antigen was confirmed to be sulphatide and its concentration in human eyes was 30 nmol sulphatide/g wet tissue By electron microscopy antisulphatide choroid labelling was demonstrated in pericytes and in smooth muscle cells surrounding vessels No Sulph Inegative pericytes were seen Double labelling with Sulph I and antismooth muscle actin revealed that only pericytes in the eye contained sulphatide and not those in heart lung liver adrenal spleen lymph node thymus or pancreatic tissue Thus sharing of the autoantigen sulphatide has been demonstrated between islets of Langerhans and pericytes in the choroid layer of the eye
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