Immunological and virological studies of cultured labial biopsy cells from patients with Sjögren''s syndrome

Labial salivary gland tissues from twenty-five patients were cultured in vitro for virus studies and for use as target cells in cellular and antibody-mediated cytotoxicity assays. Fourteen patients had definite Sjögren's Syndrome (SS), four had possible SS and seven did not have SS. No evidence for the presence of a virus in the cultured cells or after chemical treatment of the cultured cells was obtained. Tubuloreticular structures were present in three of the original biopsies but were not seen in the corresponding cultured cells, although in two of these cell lines rare bundles of intranuclear microfibrils occurred. The significance of these structures is unknown. Autologous serum and autologous lymphocytes were not cytotoxic for the cultured cells.