Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype systemic autoimmune disease and genetic component seems to play an important role in disease susceptibility. Studies from murine models have shown that about 30 loci are related to the disease. Meanwhile, 50 loci have been found in linkage to SLE in human genomic studies, especially 1q23-24, 1q41-42, 2q37, 4p16-15.2, 6p21-11 and 16q13. A lot of candidate genes contribute to the disease susceptibility and different combinations of genes at multiple loci in individual patient may result in the development of diverse clinical features.