Environmental triggers in systemic lupus erythematosus

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Environmental Health
• Genetics

Background:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease with significant morbidity.
• Despite advances, SLE etiology and progression remain incompletely understood.
• Environmental factors are implicated due to low identical twin concordance and geographical prevalence patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the literature on environmental factors contributing to SLE onset and progression.
• To explore the interplay between the exposome, genome, and epigenome in SLE pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies investigating environmental exposures and SLE.
• Analysis of research on gene-environment-epigenetic interactions in SLE.

Main Results:

• Environmental influences are crucial in SLE development.
• Evidence suggests a complex interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental exposures.
• Epigenetic modifications mediate the effects of the exposome on the genome in SLE.

Conclusions:

• Environmental factors play a critical role in the pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
• Understanding exposome-epigenome-genome interactions is vital for unraveling SLE etiology.
• Further research into these interactions may reveal novel therapeutic targets for SLE.