Epstein-barr Virus Role In The Pathogenesis Of Sjogren's Syndrome

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of salivary, lacrimal and other exocrine glands. It is a systemic disease with renal tubular acidosis (RTA) and other kidney disorders commonly seen in patients of China. To determine whether Epstain-Barr virus (EBV) might play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease, we used monoclonal antibodies of gene engineering and 32p-labelled DNA probe to detect evidence of viral gene products and genomes in patients' tissue biopsies, and also B95-8 and K4 cells as antigens to detect relative antibodies of EBV in patients' sera. Cytoplasmic staining of epithelial cells with monoclonal antibody against the EBV encoded early antigen (EA-p138) was noted in 15/33 labial and 7/7 renal biopsies from primary SS. This monoclonal antibody did not react with biopsies from secondary SS, non-SS connective tissue diseases, benign tumors and normal persons, nor with other tissues of primary SS. By using monoclonal antibodies against the EBV early antigen (EA-p54) and nuclear antigen ( EBNA-1), and immunoblotting method, it was found that the reactive antigens in primary SS labial biopsies had both a M.W. of 54,000 and a M.W. of 65,000, similar to the EA-D and EBNA-1 antigens found in lymphoblastoid cells lytically infected with EBV. Seven out of 21 lalial and...