What is the IFN signature in patients with SLE?
What is the IFN signature in patients with SLE?
IFN Signature Is a Marker for Severe SLE. An IFN “score” was calculated for each patient and control, based on the expression levels of genes in the IFN cluster. Approximately half of the SLE patients exhibited an elevated IFN score, whereas the others had scores indistinguishable from controls (Fig. 4A).
What are two possible causes for the IFN signature in SLE?
The reasons behind the IFN signature in SLE are (1) the existence of endogenous IFN inducers, (2) activation of several IFN-producing cell types, (3) production of many different IFNs, (4) a genetic setup promoting IFN production and (5) deficient negative feedback mechanisms.
What is the confirmatory test for SLE?
The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is the most sensitive test for SLE and is therefore the best screening assay for ruling out its presence. Anti-native (N)-DNA and anti-Sm (Smith antigen) tests are highly specific for SLE and have strong confirmatory powers, even in a patient unlikely to have the disease.
Is interferon used for lupus?
An example of an important cytokine involved in lupus etiology and pathogenesis is interferon alpha (IFN ). IFNα is a pleiotropic cytokine that can affect multiple cell types involved in lupus. Several genes in the interferon pathway are associated with risk for lupus, suggesting a role for this pathway in etiology.
What is interferon signature?
The interferon gene signature (IGS) is derived from the expression of interferon-regulated genes and is classically increased in response to type I interferon exposure. A raised whole blood IGS has increasingly been reported in rheumatic diseases as sequencing technology has advanced.
What stimulates interferon production?
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by a variety of cells in the inflammatory response to infections. Their production is triggered by the immune system in response to pathogens or cytokines.
What is the interferon pathway?
The interferon (IFN) pathway plays a critical role in the human immune response. Following viral infection, the human body triggers a complex regulatory system of innate and adaptive immune responses designed to defend against the virus.
Which test is most sensitive for SLE?
(Strength of Recommendation: C, based on expert opinion.) The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is the most commonly used screening test for SLE.
What is the most specific test for lupus?
Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA) Test. Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) are autoantibodies to the nuclei of your cells. 98% of all people with systemic lupus have a positive ANA test, making it the most sensitive diagnostic test for confirming diagnosis of the disease.
What does type 1 interferon do?
Within the immunological milieu, Type I interferons (IFN-I) play a central role in driving an antiviral state in non-immune cells as well as orchestrating antiviral immune responses through: (i) inhibiting viral replication in infected cells in the innate stage of the immune response; (ii) activating and enhancing …
How does type I interferon work?
Type I IFN is a well-known stimulator of antiviral genes targeted against preventing virus replication from within target cells. When their production is stimulated by virus infection, type I IFN can act in an autocrine, paracrine, or systemic fashion.