AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST MITOCHONDRIAL GLYCEROPHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE IN PATIENTS WITH IDDM

The mitochondrial enzyme FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (mG DH) plays a key role in the recognition of D-glucose as a stimulus for insulin release from the pancreatic islet B-cell. This study reveals that autoantibodies against this enzyme are not uncommonly found in pa tients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) examined at the onset of the disease. Antibodies reacting with a recombinant mGDH fra gment product were observed in the serum of four out of 15 type-1 diab etics, but in none of 15 control subjects. The serum of patients posit ive for the recombinant mGDH fragment also recognized native mGDH in a rat testis extract, provided that the enzymatic protein was first exp osed to an anti-mGDH rabbit serum. Antibodies against mGDH were also f ound in four out 12 patients with autoimmune thyroiditis. These findin gs reveal that a mitochondrial enzyme, that represents an essential co mponent of the islet B-cell glucose-sensing device, may act as an anti genic determinant in patients with IDDM or other autoimmune diseases. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.