Deep sequencing of short RNAs reveals novel microRNAs in minor salivary glands of patients with Sjögren’s syndrome

OBJECTIVES Sjogren’s syndrome is a complex autoimmune disease of the salivary gland with an unknown etiology, so a thorough characterization of the transcriptome would facilitate our understanding of the disease. We use ultradeep sequencing of small RNAs from patients with Sjogren’s syndrome and healthy volunteers, primarily to identify and discover novel miRNA sequences that may play a role in the disease.