B7-H4 expression in normal and diseased human islet β cells.

OBJECTIVES

B7-H4 is a negative coregulatory molecule known to be involved in immune response. We study here B7-H4 expression and its possible role in diabetes and cancer development.

METHODS

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-processed pancreas samples from patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), insulinoma, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and normal organ donors were studied by bright-field and multifluorescence immunohistochemistry to examine B7-H4 expression and its colocalization with islet endocrine hormones. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot assay were used to examine B7-H4 mRNA and protein expression in the islet and exocrine tissues from normal donors and pancreatic cancer cell lines.

RESULTS

B7-H4 protein expression in islet β cells is decreased in T1D and PDAC, but increased in insulinoma patients when compared to normal controls; the changes in B7-H4 expression are concomitant with insulin expression on the islet β cells. The insulin/B7-H4 colocalization on the β cells, expressed in colocalization coefficient Pearson r, is also changed in these islets.

CONCLUSIONS

Our observation of altered B7-H4 expression, concomitant with insulin expression, in the pancreatic islets of T1D, PDAC, and insulinoma patients when compared to normal controls suggests that B7-H4 pathway might play an important role in maintenance of β-cell function, but its exact role remains to be explored.