@article {Jung264, author = {Seung Min Jung and Jaeseon Lee and Seung Ye Baek and Jae Ho Lee and Jennifer Lee and Kyung-Su Park and Sung-Hwan Park and Ho-Youn Kim and Seung-Ki Kwok}, title = {The Interleukin 33/ST2 Axis in Patients with Primary Sj{\"o}gren Syndrome: Expression in Serum and Salivary Glands, and the Clinical Association}, volume = {42}, number = {2}, pages = {264--271}, year = {2015}, doi = {10.3899/jrheum.140234}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {Objective. To evaluate the expression of interleukin 33 (IL-33) and its receptor in sera and salivary tissues of patients with primary Sj{\"o}gren syndrome (pSS), and to investigate the association with clinical profiles. Methods. Serum IL-33 and soluble ST2 (sST2) of 55 patients with pSS and 48 controls were determined by ELISA and assessed for clinical correlation. The expression of IL-33/ST2 in salivary tissues was investigated by immunohistochemical staining and was further characterized by confocal microscopy. We also measured IL-33 production in salivary glandular epithelial cells by proinflammatory stimuli. Results. Serum levels of IL-33 and sST2 were higher in patients with pSS compared to those in controls (p = 0.018 and p \< 0.0001, respectively). Among patients with pSS, sST2 concentration was associated with thrombocytopenia (p = 0.029) and correlated with disease duration (p = 0.013) and the European League Against Rheumatism Sj{\"o}gren Syndrome Disease Activity Index (p = 0.042). The expression of IL-33 and ST2 was elevated in salivary glands of patients with pSS with grade 2 inflammation, and diminished in advanced inflammation. In patients with pSS, IL-33 was mainly observed in epithelial and endothelial cells of glandular tissue. The production of IL-33 mRNA by salivary gland epithelial cell line increased under stimulation with interferon-γ. Conclusion. The expression of IL-33 and its receptor was elevated in sera and salivary tissues of patients with pSS. These results suggest that the IL-33/ST2 axis might have a role in the pathogenesis of pSS.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/42/2/264}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/42/2/264.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }