High Prevalence and Disease Correlation of Autoantibodies Against p40 Encoded by Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Autoantibodies reacting with LINE-1 p40 characterize a population of SLE patients with severe and active disease. These autoantibodies may represent an early immune response against LINE-1 p40 that does not yet by itself imply clinically significant autoimmunity, but may represent an early, and still reversible, step toward SLE pathogenesis.