GSE136402
Activation of Myd88-dependent TLRs mediates local and systemic inflammation in a mouse model of primary Sjögren's syndrome
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important mediators of chronic inflammation in numerous autoimmune diseases, although the role of these receptors in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) remains incompletely understood. Previous studies in our laboratory established Myd88 as a crucial mediator of disease, although the upstream signaling events that culminate in Myd88 activation have yet to be identified. To objective of this study was to identify specific Myd88-dependent TLR-related pathways that are dysregulated both locally and systemically in a mouse model of pSS (NOD.B10Sn-H2b/J (NOD.B10)). We performed RNA-sequencing on spleens derived from NOD.B10 mice. We then harvested salivary tissue and spleens from Myd88-sufficient and deficient C57BL/10 (BL/10) and NOD.B10 mice and performed flow cytometry to determine expression of Myd88-dependent TLRs. We then cultured splenocytes with TLR2 and TLR4 agonists and measured IL-6 secretion by ELISA. Next, we evaluated spontaneous and TLR4-mediated inflammatory cytokine secretion in NOD.B10 salivary tissue. Finally, we assessed spontaneous Myd88-dependent cytokine secretion by NOD.B10 salivary cells. We identified dysregulation of numerous TLR-related networks in pSS splenocytes, particularly those employed by TLR2 and TLR4. We found upregulation of TLRs in both the splenic and salivary tissue from pSS mice. In NOD.B10 splenic tissue, B cell TLR1, TLR2, and TLR6 expression was reduced to levels of BL/10 controls in the absence of Myd88. Splenocytes from NOD.B10 mice were hyper-responsive to TLR2 ligation and the endogenous molecule decorin modulated inflammation via TLR4. Finally, we found spontaneous secretion of numerous inflammatory cytokines and this was enhanced following TLR4 ligation in female NOD.B10 salivary tissue as compared to males. Moreover, we found that spontaneous production of salivary IL-6, MCP-1 and TNFa requires Myd88 in pSS salivary tissue.  Thus, our data demonstrate that Myd88-dependent TLR pathways contribute to the inflammatory landscape in pSS, and inhibition of such will likely have therapeutic utility. Overall design: Spleens were isolated from (NOD.B10Sn-H2b/J ) NOD.B10 females at 26 weeks of age and from age and gender-matched BL/10 controls. RNA was isolated according to standard protocols using a Qiagen RNeasy kit. RNA meeting quality standards (>8.0) were used as input for RNA-seq using Illumina'sTru-seq low-throughput multiplex protocol. Three biological replicates for each strain were sequenced in parallel using an Illumina HiSeq 2500, with 50 cycle single-end read reactions.