Genetic cause discovered for systemic lupus erythematosus

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Omschrijving
Mutations in a gene researchers call TREX1 is one cause for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a severe and incurable autoimmune disease. This is the result of a new study headed by Professor Norbert Hübner from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Dr. Min Ae Lee-Kirsch from the Technical University Dresden, (both in Germany) in collaboration with scientists from Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the USA. The study has now been published in the latest issue of Nature Genetics (Vol. 39, No. 9, pp. 1065-1067, 2007). The exact causes for SLE are still unknown. Triggers are thought to include viruses, the sunlight, drug reactions, or a specific genetic predisposition. Symptoms of SLE can be inflammations of the skin, the joints, the heart, the lungs, the kidney, and the nervous system. The name of the disease refers to red spots on the skin which resemble the bites of a wolfe (latin: lupus). As the disease can affect any part of the body, it is “systemic”. SLE belongs to the group of autoimmune diseases, because the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells and tissues, causing inflammations. About 40,000 individuals are affected in Germany, most of them are women.

 

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Categorie: lupus

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