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Systemic lupus erythematosus

Interferon disrupts immune and tissue homeostasis in SLE via CXCL13

Nature Reviews Rheumatology (2024)Cite this article

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Type I interferon has a crucial role in the immunopathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Analysis of CD4+ T cells from individuals with SLE now shows that type I interferon intervenes with the transcriptional regulators AHR and JUN to downregulate expression of IL-22, which promotes tissue regeneration, and upregulate the expression of CXCL13, which supports lymphoid structure formation.

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Fig. 1: Type I interferon shifts the balance from IL-22- to CXCL13-producing CD4+ T cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Frazer Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Mehrdad Pazhouhandeh & Di Yu

  2. Ian Frazer Centre for Children’s Immunotherapy Research, Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Di Yu

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  1. Mehrdad Pazhouhandeh
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  2. Di Yu
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Correspondence to Di Yu.

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Pazhouhandeh, M., Yu, D. Interferon disrupts immune and tissue homeostasis in SLE via CXCL13. Nat Rev Rheumatol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-024-01164-y

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