Shajia Lu | PubMed Health

PubMed2026

Type I Interferon Signature is Associated With Lung Disease, Drug-Associated Immune Reactions, and Genetic Variation in Interferon-Linked Pathways in Still Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship across type I interferon (IFN-I)-stimulated gene (ISG) expression, Still disease, and the development of lung disease (LD) and drug-associated immune reactions (DAIR) to interleukin-1 (IL-1) and/or IL-6 inhibitors. METHODS: Whole blood ISG expression was quantified by NanoString array. ISG-28 scores were calculated in consecutive patients with Still or Still-like disease. Exome sequencing with family-based variant prioritization identified candidate genes harboring rare candidate causative variants. Lists of candidate genes were subjected to functional enrichment analysis. RESULTS: Among 57 patients (32 children, 25 adults), 16 had elevated ISG-28 scores. This group exhibited higher prevalence of LD (0.44 vs 0.1, P = 0.007) and DAIR (0.63 vs 0.17, P = 0.003) and lower IL-6 inhibitor use (0 vs 0.25, P = 0.048) compared to others. No significant differences were found in the rates of macrophage activation syndrome, active disease, elevated IL-18, or current IL-1 inhibition. The combination of HLA-DRB1*15 with high ISG-28 scores is associated with LD and DAIR with high specificity, whereas absence of both biomarkers had high negative predictive value. Candidate genes from high ISG-28 individuals were enriched in IFN-related pathways, including autophagy, IFN-I production, toll-like receptor signaling, macrophage activation, cytoskeletal organization, and responses to stress. CONCLUSION: High IFN-I expression correlates with LD and DAIR in Still disease, linked to rare genetic variation in immune pathways. Combining high ISG-28 with HLA-DRB1*15 significantly improves post hoc stratification of patients for these complications. If prospectively validated, these findings may guide molecular risk assessment and targeted therapies, including IFN-I directed treatments in Still disease with IFN-I signature.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Next generation sequencing analysis reveals complex genetic architecture of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES: Our current understanding of the genetic architecture of childhood-onset SLE (cSLE) is limited by a dearth of comprehensive genomic studies in cSLE. We have quantified the number of known rare and common SLE risk variants in a diverse cSLE cohort. We characterised type I interferon (IFN) gene expression scores along with genomic data. METHODS: We performed whole genome sequencing on 83 patients with cSLE and 109 unaffected parents and analysed sequences for known common and rare SLE-associated risk variants. Type I IFN gene expression was quantified on a subset of patients. We investigated the relationship between clinical phenotype, genomic profile and type I IFN signatures in this cohort. RESULTS: Patients with cSLE were enriched for common SLE risk variants compared with unaffected parents and controls. We identified rare SLE risk variants in 11% of individuals with cSLE; those with rare variants had earlier disease onset (<12 years) than those without variants. Patients with cSLE had elevated type I IFN gene expression compared with unaffected parents and controls, even though most patients were treated with immunosuppressive therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cSLE from this ancestrally and geographically diverse cohort are enriched for common cSLE risk variants compared with controls, and 11% carry a rare variant in known monogenic SLE risk genes. The relationship between rare and common risk variant burden is more complex than previously hypothesised. Our findings indicate that studying patients with cSLE is important for understanding genetic contributions to SLE pathogenesis.

Humans↗