Modes and Mechanisms of Salivary Gland Epithelial Cell Death in Sjogren's Syndrome

Abstract

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease in middle and old‐aged women with a dry mucosal surface, which is caused by the dysfunction of secretory glands, such as the oral cavity, eyeballs, and pharynx. Pathologically, Sjogren's syndrome are characterized by lymphocyte infiltration into the exocrine glands and epithelial cell destruction caused by autoantibodies Ro/SSA and La/SSB. At present, the exact pathogenesis of Sjogren's syndrome is unclear. Evidence suggests epithelial cell death and the subsequent dysfunction of salivary glands as the main causes of xerostomia. This review summarizes the modes of salivary gland epithelial cell death and their role in Sjogren's syndrome progression. The molecular mechanisms involved in salivary gland epithelial cell death during Sjogren's syndrome as potential leads to treating the disease are also discussed.

Functional significance of DNA methylation: epigenetic insights into Sjögren’s syndrome

“…Aberrant DNA methylation has also been implicated in non-immune cells. Considering that SGECs play an essential function in the emergence of SjS ( 140 ), it has been found that SGECs also play a significant function in the immune regulation in the pathophysiology of SjS and influencing the initiation and continuation of autoimmune response and inflammation ( 7 , 141 , 142 ). As SjS advances, the fundamental variations in the proteome of SGECs between SjS and healthy controls provide tangible evidence of SGEC transformation into an innate immune cell ( 143 ).…”