SIALADENITIS HISTOLOGICALLY RESEMBLING SJOGREN SYNDROME IN MICE TRANSGENIC FOR HEPATITIS-C VIRUS ENVELOPE GENES

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major causative agent of non-A, non-B chron ic hepatitis, is also suggested to be associated with extrahepatic man ifestations such as mixed cryoglobulinemia and glomerulonephritis. Two independent lines of transgenic mice carrying the HCV envelope genes have been shown previously to express the HCV envelope proteins in org ans, including the liver and salivary glands, which results in no path ological changes in the liver. Further analysis of these animals now h as revealed that they develop an exocrinopathy involving the salivary and lachrymal glands. This pathology resembles Sjogren syndrome, which also is suggested to have a possible association with chronic hepatit is C. These observations suggest that HCV might be involved in the pat hogenesis of sialadenitis in humans and that this transgenic mouse sys tem would be a good animal model for the study of HCV infection.