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Expression of cell-adhesion molecules in the salivary gland microenvironment of Sjögren's syndrome
E W St Clair1, J C Angellilo, K H Singer
1Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Objective:
The potential role of cell adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) was assessed by examining their expression in salivary gland (SGL) tissue.
Methods:
Intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 (ICAM-1), lymphocyte function-associated antigen type 1 (LFA-1), LFA-3, CD2, and CD44 expression were determined using indirect immunofluorescence techniques.
Results:
In inflamed labial SGL tissue, ICAM-1 expression was evident on infiltrating LFA-1+/CD2+/LFA-3+ mononuclear cells, and to a limited extent on SGL acinar epithelial cells adjacent to sites of intense inflammation.
Conclusion:
In SS, the SGL microenvironment is characterized by only a modest up-regulation of ICAM-1 expression on epithelial cells, despite the presence of T cells bearing an activated phenotype.