Insulin β Chain Peptide (15-23), also referred to as INS, is an insulin-derived peptide that is specifically recognized by islet-associated T cells. The tetramer of Insulin β Chain Peptide (15-23) effectively stained the INS-reactive CTL clone G9C8; however, neither this tetramer nor the negative control tetramer (TUM) exhibited staining on the splenic CD8+ T cells obtained from NOD or 8.3-TCRαβ transgenic NOD mice.
Human proinsulin, the single-chain peptide precursor of insulin, consists of the insulin A and B chains connected by the 31 amino acid C-peptide. Cleavage of proinsulin by proteolytic enzymes produces insulin and free C-peptide.