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Chang F, Gunderstofte C, Colussi N, Pitts M, Salvatore SR, Thielke AL, Turell L, Alvarez B, Goldbach-Mansky R, Villacorta L, Holm CK, Schopfer FJ, Hansen AL. Development of nitroalkene-based inhibitors to target STING-dependent inflammation. Redox Biol 2024; 74:103202. [PMID: 38865901 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2024.103202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) is essential for the inflammatory response to cytosolic DNA. Despite that aberrant activation of STING is linked to an increasing number of inflammatory diseases, the development of inhibitors has been challenging, with no compounds in the pipeline beyond the preclinical stage. We previously identified endogenous nitrated fatty acids as novel reversible STING inhibitors. With the aim of improving the specificity and efficacy of these compounds, we developed and tested a library of nitroalkene-based compounds for in vitro and in vivo STING inhibition. The structure-activity relationship study revealed a robustly improved electrophilicity and reduced degrees of freedom of nitroalkenes by conjugation with an aromatic moiety. The lead compounds CP-36 and CP-45, featuring a β-nitrostyrene moiety, potently inhibited STING activity in vitro and relieved STING-dependent inflammation in vivo. This validates the potential for nitroalkene compounds as drug candidates for STING modulation to treat STING-driven inflammatory diseases, providing new robust leads for preclinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | | | - Nicole Colussi
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Mareena Pitts
- Department of Physiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30310, USA
| | - Sonia R Salvatore
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Anne L Thielke
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Lucia Turell
- Laboratorio de Enzimología, Instituto de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay; Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CEINBIO), Universidad de la República, Montevideo, 11800, Uruguay
| | - Beatriz Alvarez
- Laboratorio de Enzimología, Instituto de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay; Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CEINBIO), Universidad de la República, Montevideo, 11800, Uruguay
| | - Raphaela Goldbach-Mansky
- Translational Autoinflammatory Disease Studies Unit, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Luis Villacorta
- Department of Physiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30310, USA.
| | - Christian K Holm
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Francisco J Schopfer
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, Blood, And Vascular Medicine Institute (VMI), Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center (PLRC), Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Metabolism and Mitochondrial Medicine (C3M), Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Ke PF, Zhu YT, Cao SL, Wang Y, Wu ST, He QQ, Liang LF, Li JC. Identification of pattern recognition receptor genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and monocytes as biomarkers for the diagnosis of lupus nephritis. Clin Chim Acta 2024; 554:117785. [PMID: 38228224 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2024.117785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of lupus-related pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocytes (MONs) for lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS PBMCs were isolated from a cohort with 37 LN patients and 39 healthy controls (HCs), and MONs were derived from another cohort with 70 LN patients and 66 HCs. Q-PCR was used to measure the mRNA levels of CGAS, IFNB1, AIM2, IL1Β, NLRC4, NLRP3, NLRP12 and ZBP1 in the PBMCs and MONs. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the data in LN patients and HCs. Eleven GEO datasets of SLE/LN were used to perform differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis to these PRR genes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to assess the performance of individual genes or the disease prediction model established by combining multiple genes in LN diagnosis. Spearman correlation method was done to analyze the correlation between these PRRs and other clinical characteristics. RESULTS The mRNA levels of five genes (AIM2, NLRC4, IL1B, NLRP12 and ZBP1) in PBMCs, and seven genes (CGAS, IFNB1, AIM2, IL1B, NLRP3, NLRP12 and ZBP1) in MONs of LN patients were significantly higher than those of HCs (P < 0.05). DEGs analysis based on the GEO datasets showed that ZBP1, AIM2 and IL1B were significantly increased in several datasets. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under curve (AUC) of the LN prediction models derived from PBMCs or MONs were 0.82 or 0.91 respectively. In addition, the expression levels of these PRRs were correlated with other clinical features in LN patients, including Anti-Sm, ESR, serum Cr, and C3. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that these lupus-related PRRs might be served as potential biomarkers of LN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Feng Ke
- Medical Research Center, Yue Bei People's Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shaoguan 512025, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Yan-Ting Zhu
- Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Song-Ling Cao
- Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China; Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Shi-Ting Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Qian-Qian He
- Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Li-Fang Liang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Ji-Cheng Li
- Medical Research Center, Yue Bei People's Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shaoguan 512025, China; Institute of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310031, China.
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An Y, Geng K, Wang HY, Wan SR, Ma XM, Long Y, Xu Y, Jiang ZZ. Hyperglycemia-induced STING signaling activation leads to aortic endothelial injury in diabetes. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:365. [PMID: 38129863 PMCID: PMC10734150 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01393-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperglycaemia-induced endothelial dysfunction is a key factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic microangiopathy and macroangiopathy. STING, which is a newly discovered regulator of innate immunity, has also been reported to play an important role in various metabolic diseases. However, the role of STING in diabetes-induced endothelial cell dysfunction is unknown. In this study, we established a diabetic macroangiopathy mouse model by streptozotocin (STZ) injection combined with high-fat diet (HFD) feeding and a glucotoxicity cell model in high glucose (HG)-treated rat aortic endothelial cells (RAECs). We found that STING expression was specifically increased in the endothelial cells of diabetic arteries, as well as in HG-treated RAECs. Moreover, genetic deletion of STING significantly ameliorated diabetes-induced endothelial cell dysfunction and apoptosis in vivo. Likewise, STING inhibition by C-176 reversed HG-induced migration dysfunction and apoptosis in RAECs, whereas STING activation by DMXAA resulted in migration dysfunction and apoptosis. Mechanistically, hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress promoted endothelial mitochondrial dysfunction and mtDNA release, which subsequently activated the cGAS-STING system and the cGAS-STING-dependent IRF3/NF-kB pathway, ultimately resulting in inflammation and apoptosis. In conclusion, our study identified a novel role of STING in diabetes-induced aortic endothelial cell injury and suggested that STING inhibition was a potential new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of diabetic macroangiopathy. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying An
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, PR China, 646000
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Nephropathy, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Kang Geng
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Nephropathy, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Plastic and Burn Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, PR China, 646000
| | - Hong-Ya Wang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, PR China, 646000
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Nephropathy, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Sheng-Rong Wan
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Nephropathy, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiu-Mei Ma
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Yang Long
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, PR China, 646000
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Nephropathy, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, PR China, 646000.
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Nephropathy, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
| | - Zong-Zhe Jiang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, PR China, 646000.
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Nephropathy, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, PR China, 646000.
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Liu Y, Wei FZ, Zhan YW, Wang R, Mo BY, Lin SD. TLR9 regulates the autophagy-lysosome pathway to promote dendritic cell maturation and activation by activating the TRAF6-cGAS-STING pathway. Kaohsiung J Med Sci 2023; 39:1200-1212. [PMID: 37850718 DOI: 10.1002/kjm2.12769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysregulated maturation and activation of dendritic cells (DCs) play a significant role in the progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The autophagy-lysosome pathway has been identified as a potential mechanism to inhibit DC activation and maturation, but its precise workings remain unclear. We investigated the role and regulatory mechanism of TLR9 in modulating the autophagy-lysosome pathway and DCs activation. The mRNA and protein expressions were assessed using qRT-PCR and/or western blot. NZBW/F1 mice was used to construct a lupus nephritis (LN) model in vivo. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by TUNEL staining. Flow cytometry was adopted to analyze DCs surface markers. Lyso-tracker red staining was employed to analyze lysosome acidification. Levels of anti-dsDNA, cytokines, C3, C4, urine protein and urine creatinine were examined by ELISA. The results showed that TLR9 was markedly increased in SLE patients, and its expression was positively correlated with SLEDAI scores and dsDNA level. Conversely, TLR9 expression showed a negative correlation with C3 and C4 levels. Loss-of function experiments demonstrated that TLR9 depletion exerted a substantial inhibition of renal injury, inflammation, and DCs numbers. Additionally, upregulation of TLR9 promoted DCs maturation and activation through activation of autophagy and lysosome acidification. Further investigation revealed that TLR9 targeted TRAF6 to activate the cGAS-STING pathway. Rescue experiments revealed that inactivation of the cGAS/STING signaling pathway could reverse the promoting effects of TLR9 upregulation on DCs maturation, activation, and autophagy-lysosome pathway. Overall, our findings suggested that TLR9 activated the autophagy-lysosome pathway to promote DCs maturation and activation by activating TRAF6-cGAS-STING pathway, thereby promoting SLE progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang-Zhi Wei
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, Boao Yiling Life Care Center, Qionghai, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Wei Zhan
- Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Ru Wang
- Experimental Center, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Bi-Yao Mo
- Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Shu-Dian Lin
- Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China
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Song C, Hu Z, Xu D, Bian H, Lv J, Zhu X, Zhang Q, Su L, Yin H, Lu T, Li Y. STING signaling in inflammaging: a new target against musculoskeletal diseases. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1227364. [PMID: 37492580 PMCID: PMC10363987 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1227364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Stimulator of Interferon Gene (STING) is a critical signaling linker protein that plays a crucial role in the intrinsic immune response, particularly in the cytoplasmic DNA-mediated immune response in both pathogens and hosts. It is also involved in various signaling processes in vivo. The musculoskeletal system provides humans with morphology, support, stability, and movement. However, its aging can result in various diseases and negatively impact people's lives. While many studies have reported that cellular aging is a leading cause of musculoskeletal disorders, it also offers insight into potential treatments. Under pathological conditions, senescent osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myeloid cells, and muscle fibers exhibit persistent senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), metabolic disturbances, and cell cycle arrest, which are closely linked to abnormal STING activation. The accumulation of cytoplasmic DNA due to chromatin escape from the nucleus following DNA damage or telomere shortening activates the cGAS-STING signaling pathway. Moreover, STING activation is also linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic modifications, and impaired cytoplasmic DNA degradation. STING activation upregulates SASP and autophagy directly and indirectly promotes cell cycle arrest. Thus, STING may be involved in the onset and development of various age-related musculoskeletal disorders and represents a potential therapeutic target. In recent years, many STING modulators have been developed and used in the study of musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, this paper summarizes the effects of STING signaling on the musculoskeletal system at the molecular level and current understanding of the mechanisms of endogenous active ligand production and accumulation. We also discuss the relationship between some age-related musculoskeletal disorders and STING, as well as the current status of STING modulator development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyu Song
- Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone & Joint Disease, Wuxi TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuoyi Hu
- Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone & Joint Disease, Wuxi TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, China
| | - Dingjun Xu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huihui Bian
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Juan Lv
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuanxuan Zhu
- Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone & Joint Disease, Wuxi TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone & Joint Disease, Wuxi TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, China
| | - Li Su
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Heng Yin
- Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone & Joint Disease, Wuxi TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, China
| | - Tong Lu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Changshu, China
| | - Yinghua Li
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
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Cerro Chiang G, Parimon T. Understanding Interstitial Lung Diseases Associated with Connective Tissue Disease (CTD-ILD): Genetics, Cellular Pathophysiology, and Biologic Drivers. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032405. [PMID: 36768729 PMCID: PMC9917355 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) is a collection of systemic autoimmune disorders resulting in lung interstitial abnormalities or lung fibrosis. CTD-ILD pathogenesis is not well characterized because of disease heterogeneity and lack of pre-clinical models. Some common risk factors are inter-related with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an extensively studied fibrotic lung disease, which includes genetic abnormalities and environmental risk factors. The primary pathogenic mechanism is that these risk factors promote alveolar type II cell dysfunction triggering many downstream profibrotic pathways, including inflammatory cascades, leading to lung fibroblast proliferation and activation, causing abnormal lung remodeling and repairs that result in interstitial pathology and lung fibrosis. In CTD-ILD, dysregulation of regulator pathways in inflammation is a primary culprit. However, confirmatory studies are required. Understanding these pathogenetic mechanisms is necessary for developing and tailoring more targeted therapy and provides newly discovered disease biomarkers for early diagnosis, clinical monitoring, and disease prognostication. This review highlights the central CTD-ILD pathogenesis and biological drivers that facilitate the discovery of disease biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliana Cerro Chiang
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Tanyalak Parimon
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
- Women’s Guild Lung Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
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Sex bias in systemic lupus erythematosus: a molecular insight. IMMUNOMETABOLISM (COBHAM (SURREY, ENGLAND)) 2022; 4:e00004. [PMID: 35966636 PMCID: PMC9358995 DOI: 10.1097/in9.0000000000000004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Acknowledging sex differences in immune response is particularly important when we consider the differences between men and women in the incidence of disease. For example, over 80% of autoimmune disease occurs in women, whereas men have a higher incidence of solid tumors compared to women. In general women have stronger innate and adaptive immune responses than men, explaining their ability to clear viral and bacterial infections faster, but also contributing to their increased susceptibility to autoimmune disease. The autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the archetypical sexually dimorphic disease, with 90% of patients being women. Various mechanisms have been suggested to account for the female prevalence of SLE, including sex hormones, X-linked genes, and epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Here, we will discuss how these mechanisms contribute to pathobiology of SLE and how type I interferons work with them to augment sex specific disease pathogenesis in SLE.
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