Molecular characterization of MHC class II antigens (? 1 domain) in the BB diabetes-prone and -resistant rat

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Abstract
The BB or BB/Worcester (BB/W) rat is widely recognized as a model for human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Of at least three genes implicated in genetic susceptibility to IDDM in this strain, one is clearly linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). In an attempt to define the diabetogenic gene(s) linked to the MHC of the BB rat, cDNA clones encoding the class II MHC gene products of the BB diabetes-prone and diabetes-resistant sublines have been isolated and sequenced. For comparison, theβ 1 domain of class II genes of the Lewis rat (RTlL) were sequenced. Analysis of the sequence data reveals that the first domain of RT1.D β and RT1.B β chain of the BB rat are different from other rat or mouse class 11 sequences. However, these sequences were identical in both the BB diabetes-prone and BB diabetes-resistant sublines. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to MHC class II sequence data in IDDM patients and in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse strain.