Autoimmune dacryoadenitis of NOD/LtJ mice and its subsequent effects on tear protein composition.
Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) is a human autoimmune disease characterized by exocrine dysfunction resulting from chronic autoimmune attack primarily against the lacrimal and/or salivary glands. Although, we previously established a good correlation between SjS in humans and autoimmune exocrinopathy in NOD/LtJ mice an in-depth evaluation of lacrimal gland disease in the NOD/LtJ mouse has remained limited. This leaves a major gap in our understanding of the dacryoadenitis/keratoconjunctivitis sicca in this model. Here we characterize the development of the autoimmune dacryoadenitis in NOD/LtJ and NOD.B10-H2(b) mice in comparison with age- and sex-matched nonautoimmune CD1 mice. We observed a decline in tear production beginning at 8 weeks of age in both NOD/LtJ and NOD.B10-H2(b) mice, continuing throughout the 40 to 46 weeks studied. This correlated with a quantifiable increase in mixed T- and B-lymphocyte infiltrations in the extraorbital lacrimal glands. In addition, temporal differences in tear protein expression between NOD/LtJ and CD1 mice were identified using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry. Thus, using this model we can identify potentially important pathophysiological mechanisms of the autoimmune attack and possible diagnostic markers for development of SjS-associated dacryoadenitis.
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Related Subject Headings
- Tears
- Tandem Mass Spectrometry
- T-Lymphocytes
- Sex Factors
- Pathology
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice
- Male
- Lacrimal Apparatus
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Tears
- Tandem Mass Spectrometry
- T-Lymphocytes
- Sex Factors
- Pathology
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice
- Male
- Lacrimal Apparatus