{
  "abstract": "Immune cell-mediated damage to acinar cells plays a central role in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) pathogenesis, with T-cell recruitment being critical in the early stages. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing was employed to generate transcriptomic profiles of labial gland tissues from SS patients, focusing on GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells and their correlation with SS clinical pathology. The role of GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells in inducing acinar cell senescence and secretory dysfunction was investigated by co-culturing SMG-C6 acinar cells with GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells and recombinant granzyme K. Mechanistically, GZMK induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby promoting senescent phenotypes in acinar cells. Additionally, GZMK-mediated downregulation of TMEM16A contributes to reduced chloride transport and salivary secretion dysfunction. This study provides novel insights into the immune-epithelial crosstalk in SS progression by revealing the relationship between GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T cells and acinar cells. This pathogenic immune-epithelial interaction may offer a promising therapeutic strategy to mitigate SS progression in the early stages and restore salivary secretion in SS patients.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Oral Medicine, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China.",
    "Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Peking University School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling, Beijing, China.",
    "Central Laboratory, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, NHC Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, NMPA Key Laboratory for Dental Materials, Beijing, China.",
    "Department of Oral Pathology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China.",
    "Research Unit of Precision Pathologic Diagnosis in Tumors of the Oral and Maxillofacial Regions, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU034), Beijing, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research support, non u.s. gov't",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Maosheng Chai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yufei Xie"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xin Cong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Chong Ding"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Pan Wei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Peiru Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Binbin Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hong Hua"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/62tkjhn3jeb6b.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.7150/ijbs.134478",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13685753",
  "id": "62tkjhn3jeb6b",
  "issns": [
    "1449-2288"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909933",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2737|Salivary Gland Disorders and Functions"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221452945",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13685753?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13685753",
  "pmid": "42909933",
  "published": "2026-10-02",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/62tkjhn3jeb6b.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:14Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42909933",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909933"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2737|Salivary Gland Disorders and Functions",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T Cells Induce Acinar Cell Senescence and Salivary Secretion Impairment in Sjögren's Syndrome via Mitochondrial Dysfunction and TMEM16A Chloride Channel Disruption.",
  "title_text": "GZMK⁺CD8⁺ T Cells Induce Acinar Cell Senescence and Salivary Secretion Impairment in Sjögren's Syndrome via Mitochondrial Dysfunction and TMEM16A Chloride Channel Disruption.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:14Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/62tkjhn3jeb6b",
  "venue": "International journal of biological sciences",
  "versions": []
}