Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that mainly damages the salivary and lacrimal glands. Immune complex (IC) formation triggers local inflammation through IC deposition and decreased antigen function. Some ICs can leak from the lesion and into the saliva, but no salivary ICs have been reported to date. We used immune complexome analysis to comprehensively identify antigens incorporated into IC (IC-antigens) in saliva samples from patients with SS (n = 9) or with xerostomia (n = 7). Neutrophil defensin 1 (67%), small proline-rich protein 2D (67%), myeloperoxidase (44%), neutrophil elastase (44%), cathepsin G (33%), nuclear mitotic apparatus 1 (33%) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 3-kinase C2 domain-containing subunit gamma (33%) were identified as new IC-antigens specifically and frequently detected in the saliva of SS patients. Of these, neutrophil defensin 1, myeloperoxidase, neutrophil elastase and cathepsin G are neutrophil intracellular proteins, which suggests that repeated destruction of neutrophils due to abnormal autoimmunity may be involved in the pathogenesis of SS. We also analyzed serum samples from three SS patients. There was little overlap of ICantigens between two of the samples (fewer than 30% of the IC-antigens in the saliva samples), suggesting that many ICs are formed locally and independently of the circulation. In addition, we found that four SS-specific salivary antigens show sequence homology with several proteins of oral microbiomes but no antigen has homology with Epstein-Barr virus proteins. The homology between some IC-antigens and oral microbiome proteins may indicate the impact of oral infection on local autoimmunity through molecular mimicry theory.
Background Schistosomiasis is one of the most significant and prevalent waterborne parasitic diseases. Even though many studies have been reported about schistosomiasis, the dynamics of schistosome in intermediate host snails is little known. In the present study, the dynamics of Schistosoma larvae in infected snails was histologically investigated. Methods To examine the localization of Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) parasites in the snails, Biomphalaria glabrata snails infected with miracidia were harvested and examined by stereoscopic observation. Then, frozen sections were prepared and stained with H&E. Furthermore, immunohistochemical detection of parasites was performed using anti-S. mansoni antibody, and their localization in the snails was analyzed. Results Snails infected with S. mansoni miracidia were harvested at 10 and 56 days post-infection (DPI) and analyzed. In the stereoscopic observations, white spots were observed at 56 DPI, while no spots were observed at 10 DPI. However, histological investigations visualized the larvae specifically in the head-foot area of the snail at 10 DPI. Further, it was observed that the larvae relocated to the hepatopancreas and ovotestis areas at 56 DPI. Conclusions The present study revealed the dynamics of Schistosoma larvae in intermediate snails, shown as the differential localization of S. mansoni larvae at early and late infection stages.
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