Interleukin 12 and autoimmune diabetes.

Interleukin 12 (IL-12) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse. Following this lead, a new locus associated with human type 1 diabetes, IDDM18, has been identified near the gene encoding the p40 subunit of interleukin 12 (IL12B). This finding has potential implications for the prediction of at-risk individuals and, perhaps, for the implementation of prevention strategies relevant to several autoimmune diseases.