084 The role of interferon and retroelements in lupus-prone Ro60 knockout mouse skin

The Ro60 protein is a prominent autoantigen in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Anti-Ro antibodies are strongly associated with photosensitivity in lupus. While it is known that Ro60 binds to small non-coding Y RNAs, it was recently reported that Ro60 also binds to Alu RNAs derived from short interspersed retroelements (SINEs). Loss of Ro60 in human cell lines resulted in the accumulation of Alu RNAs associated with an increase in type I interferon (IFN). Since SINE transcripts have been shown to be increased following DNA damage, we examined the relationship between Ro60, SINEs, and the inflammatory response after UV irradiation in Ro60 knockout (KO) mice that spontaneously develop a lupus-like syndrome.

Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology - April 19, 2018 Category: Dermatology Authors: D. Rokunohe, E. Chiou, X. Sun, L. Tanaka, S.L. Wolin, K.B. Elkon, M. Kawasumi Tags: Adaptive and Auto-Immunity Source Type: research