Toll-like receptor 9 signaling promotes autophagy and apoptosis via divergent functions of the p38/JNK pathway in human salivary gland cells

Abnormal signaling transduction in salivary gland cells is associated with the pathogenesis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Previously, we identified aberrant expression of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in gland cells of SS patients and mouse models. In this study, we investigated the role of TLR9 and its downstream p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in mediating apoptosis and autophagy in human...