RETROVIRUS IN SALIVARY-GLANDS FROM PATIENTS WITH SJOGRENS-SYNDROME

Aims-To investigate the possibility of an immune response to retrovira l antigens or of detecting retrovirus in Sjogren's syndrome. Methods-R etroviruses were labial salivary glands and blood mononuclear cells fr om patients with Sjogren's syndrome by immunoblotting assay, immunohis tochemical assay, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcripta se (RT) activity assay, and transmission electron microscopy. Results- Sera from five of 15 patients with Sjogren's syndrome (33%) reacted ag ainst p24 group specific antigen (gag) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Labial salivary gland biopsy specimens from seven of the 15 pa tients with Sjogren's syndrome (47%) contained an epithelial cytoplasm ic protein reactive with a monoclonal antibody to p24 of HIV. PCR was performed to detect HIV and human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) genes from salivary gland tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear ce lls from patients with Sjogren's syndrome. Mn2+ dependent, Mg2+ indepe ndent RT activity was detected in the salivary gland tissues in three of 10 patients. A-type-like retroviral particles were observed in epit helial cells of salivary glands by transmission electron microscopy. T arget genes for HIV and HTLV-I were not found in any of the salivary g land tissues or peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Sjogren's synd rome patients. Conclusions-The data suggest the presence of an unknown retrovirus similar to HIV in the salivary gland which might be involv ed in the pathogenesis of a subpopulation in Sjogren's syndrome.