Autophagy occurs in lymphocytes infiltrating Sjögren's syndrome minor salivary glands and correlates with histological severity of salivary gland lesions.

In SS MSG, lymphocytes' autophagy is a feature of infiltrating T and B cells and is associated with histological severity. Interestingly, in MSG aberrant regulation of autophagy is detectable in GC-like structures possibly indicating its involvement in the development and persistence of the autoimmune process within the lesions.