Expressions of cytokine genes during development of autoimmune sialadenitis in MRL/Ipr mice

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Abstract
Local cytokine gene expression in vivo was analyzed by direct analysis of RNA obtained from salivary gland tissues of MRL/lpr mice with autoimmune sialadenitis. The expression of cytokine genes were assessed by the reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and by immunohistochemical analysis. The expression of interleukin‐1(IL‐1)β and tumor necrosis factor was detected before the onset of inflammatory lesions in the salivary glands of mice of 1 or 2 months of age, and IL‐6 mRNA expression was clearly detected at the time of onset of typical autoimmune sialadenitis at 3 months of age in MRL/lpr mice, and was up‐regulated with advancing age. These results suggest that the overexpression of these inflammatory cytokine genes is involved in the development and progression of organ‐localized autoimmunity in the salivary glands of MRL/lpr mice.