Abstract
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibody formation, and intense tissue infiltration by lymphoid and plasma cells. These patients have a predisposition to the development of monoclonal immunoglobulins and B cell lymphomas. To study the role of B cells in this disease, we established B cell lines from three patients with benign primary SS. These B cell lines grew spontaneously without any stimulation and expressed EBV nuclear antigen. The lines secreted an autostimulatory factor which had properties of a B cell growth factor. Peripheral blood B cells from SS patients, after culture for 3 days, secreted a similar factor which stimulated the proliferation of established SS B cell lines. These results suggest that circulating B cells in SS produce an autocrine growth factor that may contribute to lymphoproliferation and ultimately to the emergence of B cell lymphomas.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 123-135 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1989 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Immunology