The Interferon-Signature of Sjögren's Syndrome: How Unique Biomarkers Can Identify Underlying Inflammatory and Immunopathological Mechanisms of Specific Diseases.

Innate immune responses direct the nature and specificity of downstream adaptive responses in autoimmune diseases. One of the strongest markers of innate immunity is the up-regulated expression of interferon (IFN) and IFN-responsive/stimulated genes (IRGs/ISGs). While multiple IRGs are induced during the innate phase of host responses, transcriptome data suggest unique IRG-signatures for different diseases.

Sjögren's syndrome (SjS)-like disease of mice: the importance of B lymphocytes and autoantibodies.

Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) is a systemic autoimmune disease in which an immunological attack against the salivary and lacrimal glands results, respectively, in severe dry mouth and dry eye diseases. Although a CD4+ T lymphocyte population is an integral component in the pathogenesis of SjS, recent studies have focused on the importance the B lymphocyte plays in both the pre-clinical and clinical phases of the disease process. To understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in SjS, numerous mouse models that mimic major clinical manifestations of the human disease have been developed.