Possible involvement of Toll-like receptor 8-positive monocytes/macrophages in the pathogenesis of Sjögren's disease.

Background: Sjögren's disease (SjD) is an autoimmune disease marked by lymphocytic infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands, leading to glandular dysfunction, where CD4-positive helper T (Th) cells and their cytokines are crucial in the pathogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that Toll-like receptors (TLRs), particularly those recognizing immune complexes containing DNA and RNA, contribute to Th cell activation in various autoimmune diseases. This study explores the expression and function of these TLRs in SjD.

Expansion of CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes with specific gene expression patterns may contribute to suppression of tumor immunity in oral squamous cell carcinoma: single-cell analysis and experiments.

Background: Cancer immunotherapy targeting CD8 T cells has made remarkable progress, even for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a heterogeneous epithelial tumor without a substantial increase in the overall survival rate over the past decade. However, the therapeutic effects remain limited due to therapy resistance. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of the roles of CD4 T cells and B cells is crucial for more robust development of cancer immunotherapy.

Cytotoxic CD8 T cells may be drivers of tissue destruction in Sjögren's syndrome.

Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disorder whose pathogenesis is poorly understood and that lacks effective therapies. Detailed quantitative and spatial analyses of tissues affected by Sjögren's syndrome were undertaken, including the quantitation of the frequency of selected cell-cell interactions in the disease milieu. Quantitative analyses of CD4 T cell subsets and of CD8 T cells in the labial salivary glands from untreated patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome revealed that activated CD8 cytotoxic T cells (CD8CTLs) were the most prominent T cells in these infiltrates.