ICA – ISLET CELL ANTIBODY

Pancreatic islet-cell antibodies (ICA) play a pivotal role in identifying two subtypes of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus by exhibiting a distinct staining pattern across the entire islet in immunofluorescence tests. This pattern suggests a diverse range of antibodies targeting specific cell types or a shared antigen within the endocrine pancreas. Recent experiments utilizing a sophisticated four-layer double immunofluorescent technique revealed a common antigen visually, demonstrating that patients’ sera uniformly reacted with various endocrine cells. Remarkably, the refined discriminatory properties of human antibodies against specific cell types, such as glucagon-cells (GCA) or somatostatin-cells (SCA), not only exhibited specific reactivity to distinct antigens but also, in 50% of cases, stained the respective endocrine cells in the gastrointestinal tract. These findings contribute valuable insights into the autoimmune processes underlying diabetes and enhance our understanding of the intracellular membrane systems in these essential endocrine organs.