A Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells-Type I Interferon Axis Is Critically Implicated in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus |
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Authors: | Ji-Min Kim Sung-Hwan Park Ho-Youn Kim Seung-Ki Kwok |
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Affiliation: | 1.Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-712, Korea; E-Mail: ;2.Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, Korea; E-Mail: ;3.Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul 143-729, Korea; E-Mail: |
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Abstract: | Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease that is characterized by the generation of immune responses to various nuclear components. Impaired clearance of apoptotic cells and loss of tolerance to self-antigens are involved both in the initiation and in the propagation of the disease. Dendritic cells (DCs) are key factors in the balance between autoimmunity and tolerance and play a role linking innate and adaptive immunity. DCs, particularly plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), are the main source of type I interferon (IFN) cytokines, which contribute to the immunopathogenesis of SLE. There is accumulating evidence that pDCs and type I IFN cytokines take the leading part in the development of SLE. In this review, we discuss recent data regarding the role of pDCs and type I IFN cytokines in the pathogenesis of SLE and the potential for employing therapies targeting against aberrant regulation of the pDC-type I IFN axis for treating SLE. |
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Keywords: | systemic lupus erythematosus dendritic cells type I interferon |
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