Pancreatic islet cell autoantigens associated with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) include a recently identified family of protein tyrosine phosphatase-like molecules, notably IA-2 and IA-2beta. IA-2 is a 979 amino acid transmembrane protein located on human chromosome 2q35, whereas IA-2beta is 986 amino acids long located on human chromosome 7q36. Comparison of human IA-2 and IA-2beta showed 74% identity within the intercellular domains, but only 27% indentify within the extracellular domains. These IA-2 molecules are expressed predominantly in cells of neuroendocrine origin, particularly pancreatic islets and brain. Radioimmunoprecipitation with recombinant IA-2 and IA-2beta has been used to measure autoantibodies to these molecules and their intracellular fragments. Autoantibodies to IA-2 are detected in the majority (60% to 80%) of newly diagnosed IDDM patients and in less than 2% of controls. The major antigenic determinants of both IA-2 and IA-2beta reside within the C-terminus of their intracellular domains. In first-degree relatives of IDDM patients, the presence of autoantibodies to IA-2 is predictive of IDDM and in combination with autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) the positive predictive value is in the 50% range. The role of IA-2 and IA-2beta in the pathogenesis of IDDM is still unclear. Identification of these antigens has extended our ability to predict the disease and may be valuable in the search for antigen-specific therapies to prevent IDDM.