Gene-altered Mouse Is Model For Rare Autoimmune Syndrome

By knocking out a single gene in mice, immunologists at Duke University Medical Center have mimicked a little-understood autoimmune disorder in humans. In the puzzling disorder, called Sjögren's syndrome, the person's tear and salivary glands are affected, causing dry eyes and mouth, as they are damaged by an attack of the person's own immune cells. According to researchers, the achievement not only offers insight into Sjögren's syndrome, but into the general developmental machinery of the immune system.