Functional Genomics Using High-Throughput Methods for Salivary Analysis in Sjögren's Disease.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Immunology
• Proteomics
• Metabolomics

Background:

• Primary Sjögren's disease (SjD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting exocrine glands, leading to dry eyes and mouth.
• Current SjD diagnosis relies on clinical, serological, and histological data, with a need for reliable diagnostic biomarkers.
• Lack of specific biomarkers complicates early and accurate diagnosis of Sjögren's disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify novel metabolic and proteomic biomarkers for the diagnosis of primary Sjögren's disease.
• To compare the salivary and blood profiles of SjD patients with those of healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of metabolic and proteomic profiles in saliva and blood samples from 19 female SjD patients and 20 healthy controls.
• Utilized mass spectrometry (timsTof-Pro) for proteomic analysis and GC-TOF/MS (Pegasus HT) for metabolic profiling.
• Employed advanced chromatography techniques for sample analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in metabolite and protein profiles were observed between SjD patients and controls.
• Metabolome analysis indicated alterations in amino acid, purine, and lipid metabolism, alongside external compound exposure.
• Proteomic analysis revealed changes in immune-related proteins and inflammatory lipid metabolism, identifying GNAI2, B2MG, NGAL, SLUR2, HS90, SODC, and A2GL as potential SjD biomarkers.

Conclusions:

• High-performance analytical techniques can effectively identify potential biomarkers for Sjögren's disease.
• The identified proteins and metabolites show promise for improving SjD diagnosis and prognosis.
• Study data are publicly available through ProteomeXchange (PXD055629) for further research.