A newly identified insertion–deletion variant of the B cell activating factor (BAFF)-encoding TNFSF13B gene leads to increased levels of soluble BAFF and is associated with the development of systemic lupus erythematosus. The discovery raises a number of compelling questions for further investigation.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 /Â 30Â days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Schneider, P. et al. BAFF, a novel ligand of the tumor necrosis factor family, stimulates B cell growth. J. Exp. Med. 189, 1747–1756 (1999).
Moore, P. A. et al. BLyS: member of the tumor necrosis factor family and B lymphocyte stimulator. Science 285, 260–263 (1999).
Zhang, J. et al. Cutting edge: a role for B lymphocyte stimulator in systemic lupus erythematosus. J. Immunol. 166, 6–10 (2001).
Cheema, G. S., Roschke, V., Hilbert, D. A. & Stohl, W. Elevated serum B lymphocyte stimulator levels in patients with systemic immune-based rheumatic diseases. Arthritis Rheum. 44, 1313–1319 (2001).
Petri, M. et al. Association of plasma B lymphocyte stimulator levels and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 58, 2453–2459 (2008).
Navarra, S. V. et al. Efficacy and safety of belimumab in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus: a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet 377, 721–731 (2011).
Furie, R. et al. A phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled study of belimumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits B lymphocyte stimulator, in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 63, 3918–3930 (2011).
Stohl, W. & Hilbert, D. M. The discovery and development of belimumab: the anti-BLyS–lupus connection. Nat. Biotechnol. 30, 69–77 (2012).
Morris, D. L. et al. Genome-wide association meta-analysis in Chinese and European individuals identifies ten new loci associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat. Genet. 48, 940–946 (2016).
Steri, M. et al. Overexpression of the cytokine BAFF and autoimmunity risk. N. Engl. J. Med. 376, 1615–1626 (2017).
Acknowledgements
The authors work is supported in part by a grant from the Alliance for Lupus Research. The author has no financial support or other benefits from commercial sources to report for the work reported in this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares that he has acted as a consultant to Amgen (<$5,000) and Janssen Research & Development (<$5,000), has received research support from GlaxoSmithKline, and has received clinical trials support from GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stohl, W. BAFF emerges from the genetic shadows. Nat Rev Rheumatol 13, 456–457 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2017.99
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2017.99
