Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and destruction of lacrimal and salivary glands. The development of the inflammation requires the migration of lymphocytes from the blood into these tissues. This migration involves multistep cascades with binding of lacrimal gland endothelial adhesion molecules to their ligands on circulating lymphocytes. We used nonobese diabetic mice, which develop autoimmune-mediated lacrimal gland inflammation, as an experimental model to define the adhesion molecules that control lymphocyte migration into inflamed lacrimal glands. We found that vascular endothelia in inflamed areas of lacrimal gland expressed vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and the peripheral node addressin (PNAd), but not mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1. Most lymphocytes in the inflamed glands expressed alpha(4) integrin, L-selectin, and lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA)-1. In vivo studies revealed that antibodies against VCAM-1, alpha(4) integrin, PNAd, L-selectin, or LFA-1 almost completely blocked lymphocyte migration from blood into inflamed lacrimal glands. There was no inhibition of migration by antibodies against mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 or alpha(4)beta(7) integrin. These results indicate that endothelial/lymphocyte adhesion cascades involving VCAM-1/alpha(4)beta(1) integrin, PNAd/L-selectin, and LFA-1 control the migration of lymphocytes into inflamed lacrimal gland. These adhesion molecules offer potential therapeutic targets to block the development of lacrimal gland inflammation and destruction.

Laser capture microdissection (LCM) provides a rapid and simple method for procuring homogeneous populations of cells. However, reproducible isolation of intact RNAfrom these cells can be problematic; the sample may deteriorate before or during sectioning, RNA may degrade during slide staining and LCM, and inadequate extraction and isolation methods may lead to poor recovery. Our report describes an optimized protocol for preparation of frozen sections for LCM using the HistoGene Frozen Section Staining Kit. This slide preparation method is combined with the PicoPure RNA Isolation Kitfor extraction and isolation of RNA from low numbers of microdissected cells. The procedure is easy to perform, rapid, and reproducible. Our results show that the RNA isolated from the LCM samples prepared according to our protocol is of high quality. The RNA maintains its integrity as shown by RT-PCR detection of genes of different abundance levels and by electrophoretic analysis of ribosomal RNA. RNA obtained by this method has also been used to synthesize probes for interrogating cDNA microarray analyses to study expression levels of thousands of genes from LCM samples.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing β cells in the pancreatic islets. The migration of T cells from blood vessels into pancreas is critical for the development of islet inflammation and β cell destruction in T1D. To define the roles of C-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CCR7) in recruitment of T cells into islets, we used laser capture microdissection to isolate tissue from inflamed islets of nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice and uninflamed islets of BALB/c and young NOD mice. RT-PCR analyses detected mRNAs for CCR7 and its chemokine ligands CCL19 (ELC; MIP-3β) and CCL21 (SLC) in captures from inflamed, but not from uninflamed, islets. Immunohistology studies revealed that high endothelial venules in inflamed islets co-express CCL21 protein and MAdCAM-1 (an adhesion molecule that recruits lymphocytes into islets). Desensitization of lymphocyte CCR7 blocked about 75 % of T cell migration from the bloodstream into inflamed islets, but had no effect on B cell migration into islets. These results indicate that CCR7 and its ligands are important in the recruitment of T cells into inflamed islets and thus in the pathogenesis of T1D.