Commensal orthologs of the human autoantigen Ro60 as triggers of autoimmunity in lupus, 2018, Greiling et al

[Londinium]

Full paper (open access) here: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/10/434/eaan2306

Journal summary:

Autoimmune initiation by bacterial antigens
Lupus patients react to many self-proteins throughout the course of disease, with some of the earliest autoantibodies targeting the RNA binding protein Ro60. Greiling and colleagues sampled the microbiota of lupus patients and detected commensals with orthologs of human Ro60. These bacterial Ro60 proteins could be recognized by patient sera and stimulated patient T cells. Colonization of germ-free mice also led to human Ro60 reactivity and lupus-like symptoms, strongly indicating that molecular mimicry of the commensal Ro60 could be triggering autoreactivity and driving disease progression. These striking results have implications beyond lupus and could help uncover global mechanisms of autoimmune pathogenesis.

Write up in New Scientist here: https://www.newscientist.com/articl...der-lupus-may-be-triggered-by-bodys-bacteria/

The bacteria living in and on our bodies don’t always work in our favour – some seem to provoke the autoimmune disease lupus. The finding suggests that targeted antibiotics might one day help treat the disorder.

Disturbances in the body’s microbiome have already been linked to plenty of disorders, including autoimmune diseases, which occur when a person’s immune system starts to attack their own body. In people with lupus, this kind of attack often causes skin rashes, but can also damage other organs, such as the lungs, heart, brain and kidneys. [...]