Inducible tertiary lymphoid structures, autoimmunity, and exocrine dysfunction in a novel model of salivary gland inflammation in C57BL/6 mice.

ABSTRACT: Salivary glands in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) develop ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) characterized by B/T cell compartmentalization, the formation of high endothelial venules, follicular dendritic cell networks, functional B cell activation with expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase, as well as local differentiation of autoreactive plasma cells. The mechanisms that trigger ELS formation, autoimmunity, and exocrine dysfunction in SS are largely unknown. In this article, we present a novel model of inducible ectopic lymphoid tissue formation, breach of humoral self-tolerance, and salivary hypofunction after delivery of a replication-deficient adenovirus-5 in submandibular glands of C57BL/6 mice through retrograde excretory duct cannulation. In this model, inflamma

SUBMITTER: Bombardieri M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3448973 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature