Altered type II interferon precedes autoantibody accrual and elevated type I interferon activity prior to systemic lupus erythematosus classification.
Melissa E MunroeRufei LuYan D ZhaoDustin A FifeJulie M RobertsonJoel M GuthridgeTimothy B NiewoldGeorge C TsokosMichael P KeithJohn B HarleyJudith A JamesPublished in: Annals of the rheumatic diseases (2016)
Years before SLE classification, enhancement of the type II IFN pathway allows for accumulation of autoantibodies and subsequent elevations in IFN-α activity immediately preceding SLE classification. Perturbations in select immunological processes may help identify at-risk individuals for further clinical evaluation or participation in prospective intervention trials.