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SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

The (Orf)ull truth about IRF5 and type I interferons in SLE

Exactly how nucleic acids trigger type I interferon responses via certain Toll-like receptors has been uncertain. Now, a new pathway involving gene products previously linked to systemic lupus erythematosus but not known to interact has been unravelled, which could be of relevance to the female sex bias in this disease.

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Fig. 1: TASL links nucleic acid activation of IRF5 with the type I interferon response.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Jie An and Gillian I. Rice for helpful discussions. The work of the authors is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Lupus Research Alliance and Rheumatology Research Foundation (to K.B.E.) and the Medical Research Foundation and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (to T.B.). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

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Correspondence to Keith B. Elkon or Tracy A. Briggs.

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Elkon, K.B., Briggs, T.A. The (Orf)ull truth about IRF5 and type I interferons in SLE. Nat Rev Rheumatol 16, 543–544 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-020-0472-7

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