[Does extracellular DNA play a pathogenic role in the development of lupus glomerulonephritis?]

Anti-DNA antibodies play a pathogenic role in the development of lupus nephritis. The role of extracellular DNA in the pathophysiology of lupus diseases is still controversial. It is possible that anti-DNA antibodies are elicited by antigens which cross-react with DNA and that they play their pathogenic role through direct binding on cell membrane or tissue components. Alternatively, experimental and clinical studies suggest that extracellular DNA might be involved in the induction of anti-DNA antibodies and that they might be pathogenic through the formation of immune complexes. Recent studies done on circulating DNA led to propose the hypothesis that cell death phenomena might play a major pathogenic role in the induction of auto-immune reactions and/or in the development of kidney lesions in lupus diseases.