Analysis of in Vivo Role of α-Fodrin Autoantigen in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome

The α-fodrin N-terminal portion (AFN) autoantigen mediates in vivo immunoregulation of autoimmune responses in primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We further examined this process and found that cleavage products of AFN were frequently detected in the salivary gland duct cells of SS patients. In in vitro studies using human salivary gland HSY cells, anti-Fas-induced apoptosis resulted in specific cleavage of α-fodrin into the 120-kd fragment, in association of α-fodrin with μ-calpain, and activation of caspase 3. Significant proliferative responses against AFN autoantigen were observed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from SS patients with higher pathological score (grade 4) and with short duration from onset (within 5 years). In vivo roles of AFN peptides were investigated using PBMCs from patients with SS, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Significant proliferative T-cell responses of PBMCs to AFN peptide were detected in SS but not in systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis. AFN peptide induced Th1-immune responses and accelerated down-regulation of Fas-mediated T-cell apoptosis in SS. Our data further elucidate the in vivo role of AFN autoantigen on the development of SS and suggest that the AFN autoantigen is a novel participant in peripheral tolerance.