Novel Molecular Signatures of Peripheral Regulatory T Cells in Kidney Disease Associated With Type 1 Diabetes
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Date
2026
Authors
Bansal, A.
Wong, S.W.
Wong, W.K.M.
Best, G.
James, S.
Glastras, S.
Pena, A.
Qin, C.X.
Tan, S.M.
Deliyanti, D.
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Kidney360, 2026; 7(3):510-514
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Amita Bansal, Soon Wei Wong, Wilson K.M. Wong, Giles Best, Steven James, Sarah J. Glastras, Alexia Pena, Cheng Xue Qin, Sih Min Tan, Devy Deliyanti, Darling M. Rojas-Canales, Mugdha V. Joglekar and Elif I. Ekinci
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Abstract
Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D and some kidney disorders are often associated with abnormalities in regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, it is unknown if Treg subsets and their molecular architecture are altered during the onset and progression of DKD in T1D. Methods: We addressed this critical knowledge gap by characterizing changes in Tregs isolated from 31 participants (10 control, 13 with T1D, and eight T1D with albuminuria) using flow cytometry, RNA-sequencing, and microRNA profiling. Results: We identified that the effector and central memory Tregs were significantly different between groups. Similarly, multiple gene transcripts were also significantly different between groups that also overlapped with other publicly available datasets. Machine learning–based data analyses discovered a set of important microRNAs associated with clinical eGFR values. Importantly, our analyses identified two differentially expressed Treg ligand genes (leucine rich repeat containing 4B, transglutaminase-2), which interacted with the receptors on kidney cells (protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type D/F/S, Adhesion G Protein-Coupled Receptor G1; a.k.a GPR56) in silico, providing potential mechanistic insights into the role of Tregs in DKD progression. Conclusions: Together, our work supports the yet unappreciated role of Tregs in DKD and opens new research avenues to further consolidate their causal relationship.
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© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Society of Nephrology. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.