Macrophage migration inhibitory factor contributes to the pathogenesis of benign lymphoepithelial lesion of the lacrimal gland

BACKGROUND: Benign Lymphoepithelial Lesion (BLEL) is a rare disease observed in the adult population. Despite the growing numbers of people suffering from BLEL, the etiology and mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis remain unknown. METHODS: In the present study, we used gene and cytokines expression profiling, western blot and immunohistochemistry to get further insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of BLEL of the lacrimal gland. RESULTS: The results showed that Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) was the most highly expressed cytokine in BLEL, and its expression positively correlated with the expression of Th2 and Th17 cells cytokines. MIF was found to regulate biological functions and pathways involved in BLEL pathogenesis, such as proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways. We also found that MIF promotes fibrosis in BLEL by inducing BLEL fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts as well as the synthesis and the deposit of extracellular matrix in BLEL tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the contribution of MIF to the pathogenesis of BLEL of the lacrimal gland and suggested MIF as a promising therapeutic target for its treatment. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12964-018-0284-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.