SummaryWe carried out SEREX (serological analysis of antigens by recombinant cDNA expression cloning) using sera from patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) and investigated the frequencies of autoantibodies against autoantigens identified by SEREX in the sera of healthy individuals (HI) and patients with SjS, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). IFI16 and two kelch-like proteins, KLHL12 and KLHL7, were found to be novel autoantigens in SjS by SEREX. A markedly high frequency of anti-IFI16 autoantibodies was observed in the sera of SjS (SjS, 70%; RA, 13%; SLE, 33%; HI, 0%). Interestingly, all serum samples from SjS demonstrated immunoreactivity against one or both of IFI16 and SS-B/La. The presence of autoantibodies against KLHL12 and KLHL7 in the sera was significantly specific to SjS (23% and 17%, respectively), as they were not detected in RA, SLE or HI. Furthermore, we confirmed that transcripts of these autoantigens were expressed preferentially in the salivary glands and immuno-privileged testes. Our results suggest these autoantigens may be useful as serological markers for the clinical diagnosis of SjS and may play a crucial role as organ-specific autoantigens in the aetiopathogenesis of SjS. This study warranted clinical evaluations of autoantibodies against IFI16, KLHL12 and KLHL7 in combination with anti-SS-B/La autoantibodies.

Aim Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequently occurring cancer among head and neck SCC worldwide. The identification of novel effective biomarkers for early detection may greatly improve the survival rate and prognosis of patients with OSCC. This study aimed to identify specific oral microbial profiles associated with OSCC. Methods Saliva samples were collected from oral leukoplakia (OLK) and OSCC patients (N = 6 each) and healthy controls (HC; N = 4). Total bacterial genomic DNA was isolated and 16S rRNA gene survey was performed by next‐generation sequencing of the V4 region. The relative distribution of abundance for phylogenetic groups was compared among the OSCC and OLK groups. Results The 448 operational taxonomic units detected from the libraries were classified into 133 genera, 69 families, 41 orders, 26 classes and 12 phyla. The abundance of phyla Bacteroidetes and genus Solobacterium was notably higher in the OSCC group when compared with the OLK group, whereas those of genus Streptococcus was significantly lower in the OSCC group when compared with the OLK. Conclusion These changes in the salivary microbiome may have potential applications as a novel diagnostic tool for the early detection of OSCC.

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Background/Aim: Oral cancer may become advanced because of delay in diagnosis. In order to promote oral cancer screening, simple and highly reliable screening methods that can be implemented at general dental clinics are required. Herein we investigated differential salivary gene expression between oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and healthy volunteers (HV) to identify new biomarkers for OSCC detection. Materials and Methods: Candidate genes were selected by microarrays, nuclear undecaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase 1 (NUS1) and reticulocalbin 1 (RCN1) were selected for further investigation. We used real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine NUS1 and RCN1 expression levels in saliva and tissues. Results: qRT-PCR analysis of clinical samples revealed that OSCC patients had significantly higher expression of salivary NUS1 and RCN1 than HV. Conclusion: A combination of NUS1 and RCN1 accurately distinguished patients from controls, and this combination can be implemented as a screening test for OSCC.

Objective Recently, the possibility that oral microbiomes is associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) initiation and progression has attracted attention; however, this association is still unclear. Here, we comprehensively analyze the microbiome profiles of saliva samples using next-generation sequencing followed by determining the association between oral microbiome profiles and OSCC. Materials and Methods Microbiome profiles in saliva samples from patients with OSCC, oral leukoplakia (OLK), and postoperative OSCC (Post) were analyzed. Candidate OSCC-associated bacteria were identified by comparing the bacterial diversity and relative abundance of each group based on these microbiome profiles, and their applicability as OSCC detection tools were evaluated. Results There were significant differences in genus abundances ( Streptococcus, Aggregatibacter , and Alloprevotella ) among the groups from saliva samples. In the OSCC group, compared with the OLK and Post groups, abundances of the genus Fusobacterium , phylum Fusobacteria and phylum Bacteroidetes were markedly increased and that of the genus Streptococcus and phylum Firmicutes were decreased. Conclusion The results suggested a strong association of these bacteria with OSCC. Especially, phylum Fusobacterium was significantly associated with early recurrence of OSCC. Thus, oral microbiome analysis may have a potential of novel OSCC detection and prognostic tool.