Current knowledge of receptor-ligand interactions, cell signaling, and transcriptional regulation derive from studies of type I interferon. The design of novel therapeutics is informed by the advances in investigation of type I interferon, with the potential for important impacts on patient management.
The Basic and Clinical Research Conference session on Rheumatology Complications of Emerging Viral Infections/SARS-CoV-2 presented findings from numerous studies that help explain some of the idiosyncrasies of COVID-19.
NIH investigators describe key features and genetic causes of Mendelian interferonopathies, & treatment approaches that may indicate the efficacy of IFN inhibition.
A recent gene expression analysis found an enriched downstream interferon signature, with predominantly IFNB1 signatures in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The study also found lower expression of all downstream interferon signatures in the kidneys of lupus nephritis patients…
CHICAGO—When Richard Furie, MD, was first asked to speak about lupus at the 2019 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, held April 5–7, organizers suggested he discuss low disease activity and classification criteria. But Dr. Furie, a professor of medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, N.Y., and a veteran investigator…
Type I interferon appears to play a role in disease susceptibility and pathogenesis in several classic connective tissue diseases, at least in some patients. Below, I present evidence supporting this connection, explore potential missing links in pathogenesis and discuss biological treatments that target the pathway. The Type I Interferon Pathway Interferons are a class of…
Research in type I interferon (IFN) driven mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) suggests the microbiome may play a role in the development of autoimmunity. Additionally, changes in diet may induce protective effects in the gut.1 “Microbes in the gut worsen a lupus model related to the interferon pathway,” says Martin A. Kriegel, MD,…
Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhan’s cell histiocytosis characterized by tissue infiltration of CD68-positive and CD1a-negative foamy histiocytes.1 ECD was discovered as a lipid granulomatosis in 1930 by Jakob Erdheim and his pupil, William Chester, and approximately 500 cases have been described to date.1 ECD has a heterogeneous course and prognosis ranging from an…
SAN FRANCISCO—What factors help determine whether or not inflammation resolves, leading to healing, or becomes chronic, leading to disease and tissue destruction? A number of important cells, including toll-like receptors, mast cells, anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, complement and interferon, all play their own role in this process. By understanding how they act in innate and adaptive…