title: Ultrastructural study of Sjögren's syndrome-like disease in MRL/l mice.
abstract: Salivary glands of autoimmune MRL/l mice were examined ultrastructurally and by immunoelectron microscopy to further characterize the Sjögren's syndrome-like disease in these animals. Major salivary glands from 12 female and 7 male MRL/l, two female MRL/n, and one female BALB/c mice were examined by electron microscopy and the glands from 4 female MRL/l mice were subjected to immunoelectron microscopy in order to detect Lyt-1 and Lyt-2 positive lymphoid cells. Mononuclear cell infiltrates were not seen in the salivary gland from the BALB mouse and occurred rarely in glands of MRL/n mice. However, in MRL/l mice, numerous lymphoid cells were present and acinar cells displayed low cytoplasmic density, cytoplasmic vacuolization and cellular lysis. Lymphoid cells were predominantly Lyt-1 positive although some Lyt-2 positive cells were observed. These results suggest that the MRL/l mouse represents a useful model for the study of the pathogenesis of Sjögren's syndrome in man.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dental Research, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Koopman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D015388:Organelles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000648:ultrastructure