Interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) represents a link between inflammation and fibrosis in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis.

Minghua Wu Brian SkaugXiongjie BiTingting MillsGloria SalazarXiaodong ZhouJohn ReveilleSandeep K AgarwalMichael R BlackburnMaureen D MayesShervin Assassi

Published in: Annals of the rheumatic diseases (2019)

IRF7 is upregulated in SSc skin, interacts with Smad3 and potentiates TGF-β-mediated fibrosis, and therefore may represent a promising therapeutic target in SSc.

Keyphrases

systemic sclerosis
dendritic cells
interstitial lung disease
transforming growth factor
oxidative stress
epithelial mesenchymal transition
transcription factor
liver fibrosis
soft tissue