Zonula occludens-1, occludin and E-cadherin expression and organization in salivary glands with Sjogren's syndrome.

ABSTRACT: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes secretory dysfunction of the salivary glands leading to dry mouth. Previous studies reported that tight junction (TJ) proteins are down-regulated and lose polarity in human minor salivary glands with SS, suggesting that TJ structure is compromised in SS patients. In this paper, we utilized the NOD/ShiLtJ mouse with the main goal of evaluating this model for future TJ research. We found that the organization of apical proteins in areas proximal and distal to lymphocytic infiltration remained intact in mouse and human salivary glands with SS. These areas looked comparable to control glands (i.e., with no lymphocytic infiltration). TJ staining was absent in areas of lymphocytic infiltration coinciding with the l

SUBMITTER: Mellas RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4395994 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature