Sjögren syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by targeted destruction of the lacrimal and salivary glands resulting in symptoms of severe ocular and oral dryness. Despite its prevalence, the mechanisms driving autoimmune manifestations are unclear. In patients and in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of Sjögren syndrome, lymphocytic infiltrates consist of CD4 and CD8 T cells, although the role of CD8 T cells in disease pathogenesis has been largely unexplored. Here, we evaluated the contribution of CD8 T cells to lacrimal and salivary gland autoimmunity. Within the lacrimal and salivary glands of NOD mice, CD8 T cells were proliferating, expressed an activated phenotype, and produced inflammatory cytokines. Transfer of purified CD8 T cells isolated from the cervical lymph nodes (LN) of NOD mice into NOD-SCID recipients resulted in inflammation of the lacrimal glands, but was not sufficient to cause inflammation of the salivary glands. Lacrimal gland-infiltrating CD8 T cells displayed a cytotoxic phenotype, and epithelial cell damage in the lacrimal glands was observed in recipients of CD8 T cells regardless of the presence of CD4 T cells. Collectively, our results demonstrate that CD8 T cells play a pathogenic role in lacrimal gland autoimmunity. The gland-specific pathogenicity of CD8 T cells makes them a valuable resource to further understand the mechanisms that discriminate lacrimal versus salivary gland autoimmunity and for the development of new therapeutics that target the early stages of disease.Immunology and Cell Biology accepted article preview online, 03 May 2017. doi:10.1038/icb.2017.38.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
3
7%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
5%
Nursing and Health Professions
2
5%
Other
1
2%
Unknown
13
32%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 25 September 2017.
All research outputs
#24,116,787
of 34,400,738 outputs
Outputs from Immunology & Cell Biology
#1,722
of 2,008 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#239,851
of 360,557 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Immunology & Cell Biology
#15
of 24 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,400,738 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 28th percentile – i.e., 28% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,008 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.8. This one is in the 13th percentile – i.e., 13% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 360,557 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 31st percentile – i.e., 31% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 24 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 37th percentile – i.e., 37% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
