Salivary protein secretion in physiological and pathological conditions

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  • IWATA Junichi
    Department of Diagnostic & Biomedical Sciences Center for Craniofacial Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Dentistry MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

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  • 唾液腺タンパクの分泌機構

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Abstract

In mammals, the salivary glands （SGs）, which produce 0.5-1.5 liters of saliva daily, comprise major （submandibular, sublingual, and parotid） and minor SGs. Saliva contains 99.5％ water, 0.3％ proteins （1.5-4.5g）, and 0.2％ ions. Acinar cells are responsible for the production and secretion of proteins such as amylase, mucins, and immunoglobulins, which are important for lubrication, buffering, food digestion and taste, and prevention of oral diseases. A failure during any of the steps in the secretion process （exocytosis） in the SGs results in altered secretion of salivary proteins. Recent studies show that salivary protein content is altered in patients with diabetes and obesity as well as in patients with oral health issues. In addition, the secretion of salivary proteins is reduced, and the contents of saliva are changed, in several pathological conditions, including Sjögren’s syndrome. Despite the importance of the process of salivary protein secretion, the regulatory mechanism（s） of exocytosis in the SGs remains unclear. A detailed understanding of these mechanism（s） would identify novel targets for therapeutics and contribute to new tools for diagnosing exocytosis defects, not only in the SGs but also in other secretory organs, in physiological and pathological conditions. In this review, we discuss recent findings related to molecular mechanisms of exocytosis and diseases associated with exocytosis defects.

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