Identification of possible candidate genes regulating Sjögren's syndrome-associated autoimmunity: a potential role for TNFSF4 in autoimmune exocrinopathy

Introduction Sjogren syndrome (SjS) is a systemic autoimmune disease in which an immunological attack primarily against the salivary and lacrimal glands results in the loss of acinar cell tissue and function, leading to stomatitis sicca and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. In recent years, two genetic regions, one on chromosome 1 (designated autoimmune exocrinopathy 2 or Aec2) and the second on chromosome 3 (designated autoimmune exocrinopathy 1 or Aec1) derived from nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, have been shown to be necessary and sufficient to replicate SjS-like disease in nonsusceptible C57BL/6 mice.