title: Solving the genetic puzzle of systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: In recent years, genome-wide association studies on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have significantly improved our understanding of the genetic architecture of this prototypic autoimmune disease. However, there is still a long way to go before we can fully understand the genetic factors for this very heterogeneous disease and the interplays between environmental factors and genetic predisposition that lead to the pathogenesis of SLE. Here we summarize the recent advances in our understanding of the genetics of SLE and discuss the future directions towards fully elucidating the mechanisms of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, yangwl@hkucc.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Wanling
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu Lung
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000235:genetics*