Lupus :: Gene linked to Lupus

Lupus occurs when the immune system misfires and attacks the body’s organs and tissues. Nobody knows exactly why this happens, but a new study points to one possible cause.

A team led by Fred Perrino, a biochemist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, has linked defects in an enzyme called TREX1 to lupus and related ailments.

TREX1 is thought to chop up DNA in dying cells. If this clean-up process fails, the body may launch an immune attack on its own DNA, resulting in a disease like lupus.

In addition to suggesting a possible cause of lupus, the research may open up new treatment strategies.


Leave a Comment