Immune cell crosstalk in type 1 diabetes

Here, the authors describe the complex interactions between cells of the innate immune system, the implications of these interactions for activation of adaptive immune cells and pancreatic β-cell death and the impact of infectious agents on these processes. The development of type 1 diabetes involves a complex interaction between pancreatic β-cells and cells of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Analyses of the interactions between natural killer (NK) cells, NKT cells, different dendritic cell populations and T cells have highlighted how these different cell populations can influence the onset of autoimmunity. There is evidence that infection can have either a potentiating or inhibitory role in the development of type 1 diabetes. Interactions between pathogens and cells of the innate immune system, and how this can influence whether T cell activation or tolerance occurs, have been under close scrutiny in recent years. This Review focuses on the nature of this crosstalk between the innate and the adaptive immune responses and how pathogens influence the process.