New spontaneous mouse model shows promise for bolstering Sjo"gren's
syndrome treatment

Date:
August 23, 2021
Source:
Tohoku University
Summary:
Sjo"gren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that attacks the
tear duct and salivary glands, leading to patients suffering
unbearable dry eyes and mouth. To date, treatment options have
been limited. But this may change thanks to a recently developed
mouse model that will help explain the pathogenic mechanisms behind
the disease.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Sjo"gren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that attacks the tear
system in the eyes and salivary glands, leading to patients experiencing extremely dry eyes and mouth. Current treatment options for Sjo"gren's
syndrome are lacking.

But a new animal model may help elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms
behind the disease, leading to better therapeutic methods.


========================================================================== Professor Tetsuya Kodama, from the Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering
for Cancer, at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Biomedical
Engineering, led a research group that reported on how McH-lpr/lpr-RA1 (McH/lpr-RA1) mice can act as a Sjo"gren's syndrome animal model.

McH/lpr-RA1 mice are inbred strains of mice. Dr. Shiro Mori, a lecturer
at Tohoku University Hospital, and his colleagues have been cultivating
them for many years as disease models for the spontaneous development
of severe autoimmune arthritis, sialadenitis, and vasculitis.

Kodama, Mori, and Dr. Keiichi Saito, an assistant professor at the Liaison Centre for Innovative Dentistry at Tohoku University's Graduate School
of Dentistry, collaborated to analyze the pathogenesis of this mouse
model. Their research revealed that the McH/lpr-RA1 mice spontaneously developed autoimmune inflammation in the salivary gland tissue and
blood vessels.

Further observations of the McH/lpr-RA1 mice unveiled extensive
infiltration of inflammatory cells (mainly lymphocytes) in the salivary
gland tissue and destruction of the existing salivary gland structure. In addition, inflammation occurred at the foot and knee joint and blood
vessels in the kidneys.

Aquaporin 5, a protein that is critical for saliva production and
its secretion, was absent or weakly expressed, indicating an inhibited
salivary secretomotor system in the mouse model. The study also suggests
that the significant inflammation of salivary glands, along with tissue destruction, contributes to Aquaporin 5 expression being suppressed.

The research group is hopeful the relationship between Sjo"gren's syndrome
and malignant lymphoma could be investigated in the model mice since
vasculitis has been associated with malignant lymphoma development in
patients with this disease.

Kodama believes that McH/lpr-RA1 mice are a superior disease model for autoimmune sialadenitis when compared to other model mice since they do
not develop nephritis and have a longer life span.

With the McH/lpr-RA1 mouse now registered at the RIKEN BioResource
Center in Tsukuba, Japan (BRC No. RBRC11160), Kodama and his team are
ready to provide this mouse model to researchers who need it for their research. "We believe the McH/lpr-RA1 mouse will reveal more about
inflammation in the salivary glands and blood vessels, leading to new
treatment methods for Sjo"gren's syndrome," said Kodama.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Tohoku_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Keiichi Saito, Shiro Mori, Tetsuya Kodama. McH-lpr/lpr-RA1 mice:
A novel
spontaneous mouse model of autoimmune sialadenitis. Immunology
Letters, 2021; 237: 3 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2021.06.003 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210823125728.htm

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