Systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a prototypic autoimmune disease characterized by antinuclear antibody production. In recent investigations, the contributions of various polymorphic immune response gene systems to disease pathogenesis have been analyzed. Unique cellular and molecular studies have also established the role of 'autoantigen drive' in autoantibody induction and its relationship to polyclonal B-cell activation.