Single-cell transcriptomics reveals a pivotal role of DOCK2 in Sjögren’s disease

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals a pivotal role of DOCK2 in Sjögren’s disease | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Single-cell transcriptomics reveals a pivotal role of DOCK2 in Sjögren’s disease Cuong Q. Nguyen, Yiran Shen, Alexandria Voigt, Indraneel Bhattacharyya This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3951616/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Sjögren's disease (SjD) is an autoimmune condition characterized by the dysfunction of the salivary and lacrimal glands. This study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze the immune cell composition and dynamics within the salivary glands of SjD mice. The results showed diverse immune cell types, including B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells. We identified specific clusters possessing phenotypic characteristics of immune cell subpopulations, thereby uncovering the gene/pathway function. The most striking finding was the elevated expression of DOCK2 in CD8+ T cells in the SjD model. This discovery is significant, as subsequent treatment with a DOCK2 inhibitor led to a marked amelioration of symptoms associated with SjD. The effectiveness of DOCK2 inhibition in alleviating symptoms highlights the potential of DOCK2 as a therapeutic target, opening new avenues for treatment strategies that could modulate the immune response more effectively in SjD. Health sciences/Rheumatology/Rheumatic diseases/Connective tissue diseases/Sjögren's disease Health sciences/Medical research/Experimental models of disease Single-cell RNA sequencing CD4+ T cells CD8+ T cells Sjögren’s disease Dock2 Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3951616","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":273709963,"identity":"88e776f4-2370-4598-9989-c3765d87d591","order_by":0,"name":"Cuong Q. 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