Sialadenitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the salivary glands including the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. There are several different types of sialadenitis, each with different sites of predilection. However, the pathogenic mechanism underlying the tissue specificity of sialadenitis is largely unknown. TRAF6 is a cytoplasmic adaptor protein that is necessary for the activation of dendritic cells in response to Toll-like receptor ligands, thereby regulating innate immune responses. We previously demonstrated that T cell-specific TRAF6-deficient mice (TRAF6 Delta T mice) spontaneously develop systemic inflammatory disease. Here, we show that salivary secretion is reduced in TRAF6 Delta T mice due to sialadenitis that occurs in the parotid and submandibular glands, but not the sublingual glands. Consistent with pathological findings, both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells predominantly infiltrated the sub mandibular glands; however, sublingual infiltration was rare in TRAF6 Delta T mice. The TH1 cytokine IFN-gamma, the TH1 cell attractant chemokine CCL2, and its cognate receptor CCR2 were upregulated concomitantly in both the submandibular and sublingual glands. Interestingly, the TH17 cell attractant chemokine CCL20 and its cognate receptor CCR6 were selectively increased in the submandibular glands, but not in the sublingual glands of TRAF6 Delta T mice. Thus, the expression of TRAF6 in T cells might be implicated in tissue-specific sialadenitis by regulating the chemokine-chemokine receptor system. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.