Purpose of review: Identification of function and potential pathogenic mechanisms of SLE risk genes in dendritic cells.
Recent findings: Functional studies of individual SLE risk factors in dendritic cells were performed, and functional alterations of some risk genes in dendritic cells were observed. Recent studies confirmed the pathogenic function of known risk genes. These findings postulate novel pathogenic mechanisms made by dendritic cells. SLE is a complex disease and its etiology is not clearly understood. Dendritic cells are innate immune cells and critical for determining immune activation and immune tolerance. Genetic studies identified several new candidate genes which predispose to development of autoimmune diseases, but the mechanism of those genes has not been identified. This report updates functional implications or pathways in dendritic cells which are putatively important for the development or propagation of SLE based on genetic and functional studies performed in both human and animal models.
Keywords: Dendritic cells; SLE; genetic risk factors.