title: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus--A Disease with A Dysregulated Type I Interferon System.
abstract: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex systemic autoimmune disease characterized by the loss of tolerance to nuclear antigens, immune complex formation and inflammation in multiple organs. The disease is very heterogeneous, and most clinicians consider SLE as a group of diseases with similar features where the pathogenesis is driven by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. One of the most prominent features, shared by the majority of patients with SLE, is a continuous activation of the type I interferon (IFN) system, which manifests as increased serum levels of IFNα and/or an increased expression of type I IFN-induced genes, a so-called type I IFN signature. The mechanisms behind this IFN signature have partly been clarified during recent years, although the exact function of the IFN-regulated genes in the disease process is unclear. In this review, we will describe the type I IFN system and its regulation and summarize the numerous findings implicating an important ethiopathogenic role of a dysregulated type I IFN system in SLE. Furthermore, strategies to therapeutically target the type I IFN system that are currently evaluated preclinically and in clinical trials will be mentioned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hagberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rönnblom
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006886:Hydroxychloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D053633:Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D005938:Glucocorticoids; C507964:IFNAR1 protein, human; D007370:Interferon Type I; D053633:Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta; D006886:Hydroxychloroquine; C568334:sifalimumab