BAFF: A Fulcrum Between Resistance to Infection & Autoimmunity

“Overall, the evolutionary scenario we propose is that BAFF-var was selected as an adaptive response to malaria infection, resulting in an increased present-day risk of autoimmunity,” they conclude.

If true, it would be another example of a mutation that provides advantages to the fitness of mutants, while at the same time leading to disease.

Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.

Reference

1. Steri M, Orrù V, Idda ML, et al. Overexpression of the cytokine BAFF and autoimmunity risk. N Engl J Med. 2017 Apr 27;376(17):1615–1626. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1610528.