[The mechanisms of antinuclear antibody production and its pathogenicity in systemic autoimmune diseases]

Genesis of antinuclear antibodies is one of the most important immunological abnormalities that are closely associated with clinical manifestations, disease activity, and prognosis of systemic autoimmune diseases. Previous reports indicated that autoreactive T cells have critical roles not only in antinuclear antibody production but also in organ damages. Recently, the possible molecules that are involved in the mechanism of antinuclear antibody production have been determined by using lupus-prone mice. Target treatment against the key molecules associated with autoreactive T cells and B cells may be the useful therapeutic strategy for systemic autoimmune diseases along with the suppression of disease-specific antinuclear antibody production.