Emerging roles for chemokines and cytokines as orchestrators of immunopathology in Sjögren's syndrome

Sofie L M Blokland; Christina-Maria Flessa; Joel A G van Roon; Clio P Mavragani

doi:10.1093/rheumatology/key438

Emerging roles for chemokines and cytokines as orchestrators of immunopathology in Sjögren's syndrome

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 Jul 1;60(7):3072-3087. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/key438.

Authors

Sofie L M Blokland^{1

2}, Christina-Maria Flessa³, Joel A G van Roon^{1

2}, Clio P Mavragani^{3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht.
² Utrecht University, Laboratory of Translational Immunology, Department of Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Physiology.
⁴ Department of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine.
⁵ Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

PMID: 30838419
DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/key438

Abstract

In primary SS (pSS), chemokines and cytokines orchestrate immunopathology driven by a complex network of interacting inflammatory cells. In recent years, the importance of chemotactic and non-chemotactic cytokines that control function, movement and placing of all cells within the inflamed exocrine glands and directing immunopathology has become increasingly clear. This paper reviews the current knowledge on chemokines and focuses on the emerging roles of novel chemotactic and non-chemotactic mediators in pSS. It highlights their contribution to pathogenic processes such as B cell hyperactivity and the formation of ectopic lymphoid structures. To this end, the role of acquired (CXCR5/CCR9 Th-cell-mediated) and innate (inflammasome/IL-1/IL-18-mediated) pathways in steering immunopathology is discussed.

Keywords: IL-1 cytokine family; Sjögren’s syndrome; chemokines; inflammasome.

Grants and funding

Hellenic Rheumatology Association