Research Paper: Molecular profiling of NOD mouse islets reveals a novel regulator of insulitis onset

Together with our collaborators from the BETAUPREG Group (financed by NO Grants 2014– 2021, under Project contract no. 21/2020 (RO-NO-2019-0544), Andreas and Andrei mapped the molecular fingerprint of early insulitis in a cohort of NOD mice ranging from 4 to 12 weeks of age. Analysing the resulting dynamic timeline datasets revealed an initial decrease in proliferative capacity followed by the emergence of an inflammatory signature between 6 and 8 weeks that increased to a regulatory plateau between 10 and 12 weeks. The inflammatory signature is identified by the activation of central immunogenic factors such as Infg, Il1b, and Tnfa, and activation of canonical inflammatory signaling. Analysis of the regulatory landscape revealed the transcription factor Atf3 as a potential novel modulator of inflammatory signaling in the NOD islets.