1 6614 150 ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION INDUCES KERATINOCYTE PROLIFERATION AND EPIDERMAL HYPERPLASIA THROUGH THE ACTIVATION OF THE EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR. CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO ULTRAVIOLET (UV) IRRADIATION INDUCES SKIN CANCER, IN PART, THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT RESULT IN THE DEREGULATION OF CELL PROLIFERATION. UV IRRADIATION ALSO RAPIDLY ACTIVATES THE EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR (EGFR). SINCE EGFR ACTIVATION IS STRONGLY MITOGENIC IN MANY CELL TYPES INCLUDING KERATINOCYTES OF THE SKIN, WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT UV-INDUCED CUTANEOUS PROLIFERATION RESULTS FROM EGFR ACTIVATION. THE ROLE OF EGFR ACTIVATION IN THE RESPONSE OF THE SKIN TO UV WAS DETERMINED USING EGFR-NULL AND EGFR-WILD-TYPE SKIN GRAFTED ONTO ATHYMIC NUDE MOUSE HOSTS, BECAUSE EGFR-NULL MICE SURVIVE ONLY A FEW DAYS AFTER BIRTH. EGFR WAS RAPIDLY ACTIVATED IN MOUSE EPIDERMIS FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO UV, AS DETECTED BY THE PHOSPHORYLATION OF EGFR ON TYROSINE RESIDUES 992, 1045, 1068 AND 1173. UV INDUCED EPIDERMAL HYPERPLASIA IN EGFR-WILD-TYPE SKIN BETWEEN 48 AND 72 H POST-UV. HOWEVER, NO EPIDERMAL HYPERPLASIA OCCURRED IN EGFR-NULL SKIN. BASELINE CELL PROLIFERATION WAS SIMILAR IN SKIN GRAFTS OF BOTH GENOTYPES. HOWEVER, UV EXPOSURE INCREASED CELL PROLIFERATION, AS MEASURED BY KI67 IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY AND PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN IMMUNOBLOTTING, MAXIMALLY AT 48 H TO A LEVEL MORE THAN THREE TIMES HIGHER IN WILD-TYPE COMPARED WITH EGFR-NULL SKIN. APOPTOTIC CELL DEATH, AS MEASURED BY TERMINAL DEOXYNUCLEOTIDYL TRANSFERASE BIOTIN-DUTP NICK END LABELING (TUNEL) ANALYSIS, WAS ALSO INCREASED IN UV-EXPOSED EGFR-NULL SKIN WHEN COMPARED WITH WILD-TYPE 1-2 DAYS POST-UV. THESE CHANGES IN CELLULAR HOMEOSTASIS AFTER UV WERE ACCOMPANIED BY INCREASED CYCLIN D EXPRESSION IN WILD-TYPE BUT NOT EGFR-NULL SKIN AND INCREASED EXPRESSION OF P53 AND THE CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASE (CDK) INHIBITOR P21WAF1 IN EGFR-NULL SKIN WHEN COMPARED WITH WILD-TYPE. COLLECTIVELY, THESE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT THE UV-INDUCED ACTIVATION OF EGFR AUGMENTS KERATINOCYTE PROLIFERATION AND SUPPRESSES APOPTOSIS, LEADING TO EPIDERMAL HYPERPLASIA, ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED G1 CYCLIN EXPRESSION AND SUPPRESSION OF CDK INHIBITOR EXPRESSION. 2006 2 6615 32 ULTRAVIOLET-A1 IRRADIATION THERAPY FOR SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (LUPUS, SLE) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRODUCTION OF AUTOANTIBODIES, WHICH BIND TO ANTIGENS AND ARE DEPOSITED WITHIN TISSUES TO FIX COMPLEMENT, RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION. THE STUDIES PRESENTED HEREIN ARE CONSISTENT WITH HYPERPOLARIZED, ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE (ATP)-DEFICIENT MITOCHONDRIA BEING CENTRAL TO THE DISEASE PROCESS. THESE HYPERPOLARIZED MITOCHONDRIA RESIST THE DEPOLARIZATION REQUIRED FOR ACTIVATION-INDUCED APOPTOSIS. THE MITOCHONDRIAL ATP DEFICITS ADD TO THIS RESISTANCE TO APOPTOSIS AND ALSO REDUCE THE MACROPHAGE ENERGY THAT IS NEEDED TO CLEAR APOPTOTIC BODIES. IN BOTH CASES, NECROSIS, THE ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY OF CELL DEATH, RESULTS. INTRACELLULAR CONSTITUENTS SPILL INTO THE BLOOD AND TISSUES, ELICITING INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES DIRECTED AT THEIR REMOVAL. WHAT RESULTS IS "AUTOIMMUNITY." ULTRAVIOLET (UV)-A1 PHOTONS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REMEDIATE THIS ABERRANCY. EXOGENOUS EXPOSURE TO LOW-DOSE, FULL-BODY, UV-A1 RADIATION GENERATES SINGLET OXYGEN. SINGLET OXYGEN HAS TWO MAJOR PALLIATIVE ACTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH LUPUS AND THE UV-A1 PHOTONS THEMSELVES HAVE SEVERAL MORE. SINGLET OXYGEN DEPOLARIZES THE HYPERPOLARIZED MITOCHONDRION, TRIGGERING NON-ATP-DEPENDENT APOPTOSIS THAT DETERS NECROSIS. NEXT, SINGLET OXYGEN ACTIVATES THE GENE ENCODING HEME OXYGENASE (HO-1), A MAJOR GOVERNOR OF SYSTEMIC HOMEOSTASIS. HO-1 CATALYZES THE DEGRADATION OF THE OXIDANT HEME INTO BILIVERDIN (CONVERTED TO BILIRUBIN), FE, AND CARBON MONOXIDE (CO), THE FIRST THREE OF THESE EXERTING POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS, AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH A FOURTH, CO, PROTECTING AGAINST INJURY TO THE CORONARY ARTERIES, THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND THE LUNGS. THE UV-A1 PHOTONS THEMSELVES DIRECTLY ATTENUATE DISEASE IN LUPUS BY REDUCING B CELL ACTIVITY, PREVENTING THE SUPPRESSION OF CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNITY, SLOWING AN EPIGENETIC PROGRESSION TOWARD SLE, AND AMELIORATING DISCOID AND SUBACUTE CUTANEOUS LUPUS. FINALLY, A COMBINATION OF THESE MECHANISMS REDUCES LEVELS OF ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODIES AND PROTECTS DURING LUPUS PREGNANCY. CAPPING ALL OF THIS IS THAT UV-A1 IRRADIATION IS AN ESSENTIALLY INNOCUOUS, HIGHLY MANAGEABLE, AND COMFORTABLE THERAPEUTIC AGENCY. 2017 3 4030 16 LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: A SHORT ACCOUNT. LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY DISEASE WITH DIVERSE CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS INCLUDING ARTHRITIS, SKIN DISORDERS AND KIDNEY DISEASE. PATHOLOGICALLY IT IS CHARACTERISED BY COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MULTIPLE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND EXTRANEOUS FACTORS; AND SEROLOGICALLY BY THE PRESENCE OF A VARIETY OF ANTIBODIES WHICH ARE REACTIVE TO INTRACELLULAR MOLECULAR CONSTITUENTS. IMPAIRED CLEARANCE OF APOPTOTIC CELLS AND OF IMMUNE COMPLEXES, LOSS OF IMMUNE TOLERANCE TO SELF-ANTIGENS AND DYSREGULATION OF THE CYTOKINE NETWORK ACT SYNERGISTICALLY WITH EXTRANEOUS FACTORS SUCH AS ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION, VIRUSES AND CERTAIN DRUGS TO INDUCE AND SUSTAIN LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. 2011 4 999 35 CHRONIC SUN EXPOSURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH DISTINCT HISTONE ACETYLATION CHANGES IN HUMAN SKIN. BACKGROUND: PHOTOAGEING IS ATTRIBUTED TO CONTINUOUS SUNLIGHT OR ARTIFICIAL ULTRAVIOLET EXPOSURE AND MANIFESTS AS CLINICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES IN SKIN. EPIGENETIC CHANGES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF PHOTOAGEING. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE UNCLEAR. OBJECTIVES: TO ANALYSE HISTONE MODIFICATION PATTERNS IN SUN-EXPOSED AND NONEXPOSED SKIN, AND TO IDENTIFY THE ABNORMALLY HISTONE-MODIFIED GENES RELATED TO PHOTOAGEING. METHODS: SKIN BIOPSIES WERE COLLECTED FROM BOTH THE OUTER FOREARM (SUN-EXPOSED AREA) AND THE BUTTOCK (SUN-PROTECTED AREA) IN 20 HEALTHY MIDDLE-AGED FEMALE VOLUNTEERS. GLOBAL HISTONE H3/H4 ACETYLATION AND H3K4/H3K9 METHYLATION STATUSES WERE ASSESSED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY. EXPRESSION LEVELS OF HISTONE ACETYLTRANSFERASES AND HISTONE DEACETYLASES WERE MEASURED BY REVERSE-TRANSCRIPTASE QUANTITATIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (QPCR) AND WESTERN BLOT. CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION COMBINED WITH DNA MICROARRAY (CHIP-CHIP) ASSAY WITH ANTI-ACETYL-HISTONE H3 ANTIBODY IN A SUN-EXPOSED POOL (COMBINING SIX SUN-EXPOSED SKIN SAMPLES) AND A NONEXPOSED POOL (COMBINING SIX NONEXPOSED SKIN SAMPLES) WAS CONDUCTED TO EXPLORE THE ABNORMALLY ACETYLATED HISTONE H3 GENES RELATED TO PHOTOAGEING; CHIP-QPCR WAS THEN USED TO VERIFY THE RESULTS OF CHIP-CHIP. RESULTS: WE OBSERVED HIGHER GLOBAL HISTONE H3 ACETYLATION LEVELS INCREASED EP300 AND DECREASED HDAC1 AND SIRT1 EXPRESSION IN SUN-EXPOSED SKIN COMPARED WITH MATCHED NONEXPOSED SKIN. FURTHERMORE, THE CHIP-CHIP ASSAY SHOWED THAT 227 GENES DISPLAYED SIGNIFICANT HYPERACETYLATION OF HISTONE H3, AND 81 GENES DISPLAYED SIGNIFICANT HYPOACETYLATION OF HISTONE H3 BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. HISTONE H3 ACETYLATION LEVELS ON THE PROMOTERS OF PDCD5, ITIH5, MMP1 AND AHR WERE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH THE MRNA EXPRESSION OF THE CORRESPONDING GENE. CONCLUSIONS: CHRONIC SUN EXPOSURE-INDUCED HISTONE H3 HYPERACETYLATION MAY PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF SKIN PHOTOAGEING. 2018 5 4457 29 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS MEDIATED BY HUMAN ENDOGENOUS RETROVIRUSES (HERVS) IN AUTOIMMUNITY. EIGHT PER CENT OF THE HUMAN GENOME IS DERIVED FROM THE INTEGRATION OF RETROVIRAL SEQUENCES THAT WERE INCORPORATED IN OUR DNA MORE THAN 25 MILLION YEARS AGO. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THESE ELEMENTS SHOW MUTATIONS AND DELETIONS, SOME HERVS ARE TRANSCRIPTIONALLY ACTIVE AND PRODUCE FUNCTIONAL PROTEINS. DIFFERENT MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED WHICH LINK HERVS TO SOME CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS SEVERAL CANCERS, NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES AND AUTOIMMUNE RHEUMATIC AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASES. THEY COULD CAUSE DISEASE BECAUSE OF THEIR CAPACITY FOR BEING MOVED AND INSERTED NEXT TO CERTAIN GENES WHOSE EXPRESSION WOULD BE CONSEQUENTIALLY ALTERED. ANOTHER WAY IN WHICH DISEASE COULD POTENTIALLY ARISE IS WHEN HERV-ENCODED PROTEINS ARE EXPRESSED. THESE PROTEINS WOULD BE CONSIDERED AS [FOREIGN] AND THEY COULD TRIGGER B-CELLS TO PRODUCE ANTIBODIES AGAINST THEM, WHICH, IN TURN, MIGHT CROSS-REACT WITH OTHER PROTEINS OF OUR BODIES. THIS MECHANISM COULD GIVE RISE TO AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES SUCH AS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA), LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, SJOGREN'S SYNDROME (SJS), MIXED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASES AND INFLAMMATORY NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE. FURTHERMORE, IT SHOULD BE POINTED OUT THAT HERV-PROTEINS MAY ACT AS SUPERANTIGENS. INTERESTINGLY, SOME ENVIRONMENTAL AGENTS SEEM TO INDUCE THE EXPRESSION OF HERVS. THUS, ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT AND SEVERAL CHEMICAL AGENTS COULD REACTIVATE SUCH SEQUENCES BY ALTERING THEIR STRUCTURE WITHOUT MODIFYING THEIR NUCLEOTIDE COMPOSITION WHEN THE METHYLATION PATTERN IS CHANGED. THEREFORE, THE EPIGENETIC CHANGES OBSERVED IN PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS SUCH AS SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) OR CANCER COULD BE TRANSLATED INTO AN EFFECT ON THE ACTIVATION OF SOME OF THE RETROELEMENTS PRESENT IN OUR GENOME WHICH ULTIMATELY COULD HAVE A DIRECT OR INDIRECT ROLE ON THE INITIATION AND CLINICAL EVOLUTION OF CERTAIN CHRONIC DISEASES. 2009 6 2559 28 EPIGENETICS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: LEADING THE WAY FOR SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC AGENTS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER OF AN UNCLEARLY DETERMINED ETIOLOGY. PAST STUDIES, BOTH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL, HAVE IMPLICATED EPIGENETIC INFLUENCES IN DISEASE ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS. EPIGENETICS DESCRIBES CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION NOT LINKED TO ALTERATIONS IN THE UNDERLYING GENOMIC SEQUENCE, AND IS MOST OFTEN TYPIFIED BY THREE MODIFICATIONS: METHYLATION OF DNA, ADDITION OF VARIOUS SIDE CHAINS TO HISTONE GROUPS AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION VIA SHORT NCRNA SEQUENCES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO REVIEW THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVANCES THAT LINK EPIGENETIC CHANGES TO LUPUS. THE CONTRIBUTION OF DNA METHYLATION CHANGES TO LUPUS PATHOGENESIS IS DISCUSSED. THESE INCLUDE THE ROLE OF APOPTOTIC DNA, ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION, ENDOGENOUS RETROVIRUSES, DIETARY CONTRIBUTIONS AND AGING. HYPOMETHYLATION OF SPECIFIC GENES OVEREXPRESSED IN LUPUS T CELLS SUCH AS ITGAL (CD11A), CD40LG (CD40L), TNFSF7 (CD70), KIR2DL4 AND PRF1 (PERFORIN), AND CD5 IN LUPUS B CELLS SEEM TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE. MOREOVER, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS INCREASED GLOBAL H4 ACETYLATION IN MONOCYTES ARE HIGHLY ASSOCIATED WITH SLE. NCRNAS, ESPECIALLY MIR-21, MIR-148A AND MIR-126, CONTROL OTHER ELEMENTS OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION; PARTICULARLY, TRANSCRIPTION OF THE MAINTENANCE DNA METHYLATION ENZYME DNMT1. EPIGENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO SLE ETIOLOGY HAVE BEEN WELL ESTABLISHED, BUT MUCH IS STILL UNKNOWN. EPIGENOME-WIDE STUDIES COUPLED WITH FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE EPIGENOMIC CHANGES DISCOVERED WILL UNCOVER NOVEL PATHWAYS IMPORTANT IN DISEASE PATHOGENESIS. EPIGENETIC THERAPIES FOR SLE MAY BE FEASIBLE IN THE FUTURE, PARTICULARLY IF THEY ARE DESIGNED TO TARGET SPECIFIC REGIONS WITHIN THE GENOME. 2011 7 4301 37 MICRORNA-21-ENRICHED EXOSOMES AS EPIGENETIC REGULATORS IN MELANOMAGENESIS AND MELANOMA PROGRESSION: THE IMPACT OF WESTERN LIFESTYLE FACTORS. DNA MUTATION-INDUCED ACTIVATION OF RAS-BRAF-MEK-ERK SIGNALING ASSOCIATED WITH INTERMITTENT OR CHRONIC ULTRAVIOLET (UV) IRRADIATION CANNOT EXCLUSIVELY EXPLAIN THE EXCESSIVE INCREASE OF MALIGNANT MELANOMA (MM) INCIDENCE SINCE THE 1950S. MALIGNANT CONVERSION OF A MELANOCYTE TO AN MM CELL AND METASTATIC MM IS ASSOCIATED WITH A STEADY INCREASE IN MICRORNA-21 (MIR-21). AT THE EPIGENETIC LEVEL, MIR-21 INHIBITS KEY TUMOR SUPPRESSORS OF THE RAS-BRAF SIGNALING PATHWAY ENHANCING PROLIFERATION AND MM PROGRESSION. INCREASED MM CELL LEVELS OF MIR-21 EITHER RESULT FROM ENDOGENOUS UPREGULATION OF MELANOCYTIC MIR-21 EXPRESSION OR BY UPTAKE OF MIR-21-ENRICHED EXOGENOUS EXOSOMES. BASED ON EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA AND TRANSLATIONAL EVIDENCE, THIS REVIEW PROVIDES DEEPER INSIGHTS INTO ENVIRONMENTALLY AND METABOLICALLY INDUCED EXOSOMAL MIR-21 TRAFFICKING BEYOND UV-IRRADIATION IN MELANOMAGENESIS AND MM PROGRESSION. SOURCES OF MIR-21-ENRICHED EXOSOMES INCLUDE UV-IRRADIATED KERATINOCYTES, ADIPOCYTE-DERIVED EXOSOMES IN OBESITY, AIRWAY EPITHELIUM-DERIVED EXOSOMES GENERATED BY SMOKING AND POLLUTION, DIET-RELATED EXOSOMES AND INFLAMMATION-INDUCED EXOSOMES, WHICH MAY SYNERGISTICALLY INCREASE THE EXOSOMAL MIR-21 BURDEN OF THE MELANOCYTE, THE TRANSFORMED MM CELL AND ITS TUMOR ENVIRONMENT. SEVERAL THERAPEUTIC AGENTS THAT SUPPRESS MM CELL GROWTH AND PROLIFERATION ATTENUATE MIR-21 EXPRESSION. THESE INCLUDE MIR-21 ANTAGONISTS, METFORMIN, KINASE INHIBITORS, BETA-BLOCKERS, VITAMIN D, AND PLANT-DERIVED BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, WHICH MAY REPRESENT NEW OPTIONS FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF MM. 2020 8 1284 22 DECIPHERING THE MOLECULAR LANDSCAPE OF CUTANEOUS SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA FOR BETTER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. CUTANEOUS SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (CSCC) IS A COMMON TYPE OF NEOPLASIA, REPRESENTING A TERRIBLE BURDEN ON PATIENTS' LIFE AND CLINICAL MANAGEMENT. ALTHOUGH IT SELDOM METASTASIZES, AND MOST CASES CAN BE EFFECTIVELY TREATED WITH SURGICAL INTERVENTION, ONCE METASTATIC CSCC DISPLAYS CONSIDERABLE AGGRESSIVENESS LEADING TO THE DEATH OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS. NO CONSENSUS HAS BEEN REACHED AS TO WHICH FEATURES BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR OF CSCC, AN ACHIEVEMENT HINDERED BY THE HIGH MUTATIONAL BURDEN CAUSED BY CHRONIC ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT EXPOSURE. EVEN THOUGH SOME SUBTYPES HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS HIGH RISK VARIANTS, DEPENDING ON CERTAIN TUMOR FEATURES, CSCC THAT ARE NORMALLY THOUGHT OF AS LOW RISK COULD POSE AN INCREASED DANGER TO THE PATIENTS. IN LIGHT OF THIS, SPECIFIC GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MARKERS FOR CUTANEOUS SCC, WHICH COULD SERVE AS RELIABLE DIAGNOSTIC MARKERS AND POSSIBLE TARGETS FOR NOVEL TREATMENT DEVELOPMENT, HAVE BEEN SEARCHED FOR. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE MUTATIONAL LANDSCAPE OF CSCC, POINTING OUT ESTABLISHED BIOMARKERS, AS WELL AS NOVEL CANDIDATES, AND FUTURE POSSIBLE MOLECULAR THERAPIES FOR CSCC. 2020 9 1323 25 DENDRITIC CELLS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: FROM PATHOGENESIS TO THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A SEVERE CHRONIC SYSTEMIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE CAUSED BY COMPLICATED INTERACTIONS AMONG GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND IMMUNOLOGICAL FACTORS. DENDRITIC CELLS (DCS), AS THE MOST IMPORTANT ANTIGEN-PRESENTING CELLS, PLAY PIVOTAL ROLES IN BOTH TRIGGERING PATHOGENIC AUTOIMMUNE RESPONSES, AND ALSO MAINTAINING IMMUNE TOLERANCE. DISTINCT DC SUBSETS ARE ENDOWED WITH DIVERSIFIED PHENOTYPIC AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND PLAY VARIABLE ROLES IN SHAPING IMMUNITY AND TOLERANCE DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SLE. ABNORMAL ACTIVATION OR DISABLED TOLERANCE OF DCS NOT ONLY TRIGGERS ABERRANT PRODUCTION OF INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS AND TYPE I INTERFERONS LEADING TO PATHOGENIC INNATE IMMUNITY AND AUTOINFLAMMATION, BUT ALSO CAUSES AN IMBALANCE OF EFFECTOR VERSUS REGULATORY T CELL RESPONSES AND SUSTAINED PRODUCTION OF AUTO-ANTIBODIES FROM B CELLS, LEADING TO CONTINUOUSLY AMPLIFIED AUTOIMMUNE PATHOGENESIS IN SLE. OVER THE PAST DECADE, SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN REVEALING THE CHANGES OF DC ACCUMULATION OR FUNCTION IN SLE, AND HOW THE FUNCTIONAL DYSREGULATIONS OF DCS CONTRIBUTE TO THE PATHOLOGICAL INFLAMMATION OF SLE, LEADING TO BREAKTHROUGHS IN DC-BASED THERAPEUTICS IN THE TREATMENT OF SLE. IN THIS REVIEW, WE REVIEW THE RECENT ADVANCES IN THE ACTIVATION AND FUNCTION OF THE MAJOR DC SUBSETS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF SLE AS WELL AS THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF TARGETING DC SUBSET OR STATUS AGAINST SLE. 2022 10 1033 19 CITRULLINATION OF AUTOANTIGENS IMPLICATES NETOSIS IN THE INDUCTION OF AUTOIMMUNITY. TOLERANCE BLOCKS THE EXPRESSION OF AUTOANTIBODIES, WHEREAS AUTOIMMUNITY PROMOTES IT. HOW TOLERANCE BREAKS AND AUTOANTIBODY PRODUCTION BEGINS THUS ARE CRUCIAL QUESTIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND TREATMENT OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. EVIDENCE IMPLICATES CELL DEATH AND AUTOANTIGEN MODIFICATIONS IN THE INITIATION OF AUTOIMMUNE REACTIONS. ONE FORM OF NEUTROPHIL CELL DEATH CALLED NETOSIS DESERVES ATTENTION BECAUSE IT REQUIRES THE POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATION OF HISTONES AND RESULTS IN THE EXTRACELLULAR RELEASE OF CHROMATIN. NETOSIS RECEIVED ITS NAME FROM NET, THE ACRONYM GIVEN TO NEUTROPHIL EXTRACELLULAR TRAP. THE EXTRACELLULAR CHROMATIN INCORPORATES HISTONES IN WHICH ARGININES HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO CITRULLINES BY PEPTIDYLARGININE DEIMINASE IV (PAD4). THE DEIMINATED CHROMATIN MAY FUNCTION TO CAPTURE OR 'TRAP' BACTERIAL PATHOGENS, THUS GENERATING AN EXTRACELLULAR COMPLEX OF DEIMINATED HISTONES AND BACTERIAL CELL ADJUVANTS. THE COMPLEX OF BACTERIAL ANTIGENS AND DEIMINATED CHROMATIN MAY BE INTERNALISED BY HOST PHAGOCYTES DURING ACUTE INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS, AS ARISE DURING BACTERIAL INFECTIONS OR CHRONIC AUTOINFLAMMATORY DISORDERS. THE UPTAKE AND PROCESSING OF DEIMINATED CHROMATIN TOGETHER WITH BACTERIAL ADJUVANTS BY PHAGOCYTES MAY INDUCE THE PRESENTATION OF MODIFIED HISTONE EPITOPES AND CO-STIMULATION, THUS YIELDING A POWERFUL STIMULUS TO BREAK TOLERANCE. AUTOANTIBODIES TO DEIMINATED HISTONES ARE PREVALENT IN FELTY'S SYNDROME PATIENTS AND ARE PRESENT IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) AND PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). THESE OBSERVATIONS CLEARLY IMPLICATE HISTONE DEIMINATION AS AN EPIGENETIC MARK THAT CAN ACT AS AN AUTOANTIBODY STIMULANT. 2014 11 4411 18 MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BASES OF IMMUNOSENESCENCE, INFLAMMATION, AND CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS MIMICKING "INFLAMMAGING" IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS AN ARCHETYPE OF SYSTEMIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRESENCE OF DIVERSE AUTOANTIBODIES AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. THERE ARE MULTIPLE FACTORS INVOLVED IN LUPUS PATHOGENESIS, INCLUDING GENETIC/EPIGENETIC PREDISPOSITION, SEXUAL HORMONE IMBALANCE, ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULANTS, MENTAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSES, AND UNDEFINED EVENTS. RECENTLY, MANY AUTHORS NOTED THAT "INFLAMMAGING", CONSISTING OF IMMUNOSENESCENCE AND INFLAMMATION, IS A COMMON FEATURE IN AGING PEOPLE AND PATIENTS WITH SLE. IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT CHRONIC OXIDATIVE STRESSES ORIGINATING FROM MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, DEFECTIVE BIOENERGETICS, ABNORMAL IMMUNOMETABOLISM, AND PREMATURE TELOMERE EROSION MAY ACCELERATE IMMUNE CELL SENESCENCE IN PATIENTS WITH SLE. THE MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTIONS IN SLE HAVE BEEN EXTENSIVELY INVESTIGATED IN RECENT YEARS. THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF NORMOGLYCEMIC METABOLIC SYNDROME HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE RELEVANT TO THE PRODUCTION OF ADVANCED GLYCOSYLATED AND NITROSATIVE END PRODUCTS. BESIDES, IMMUNOSENESCENCE, AUTOIMMUNITY, ENDOTHELIAL CELL DAMAGE, AND DECREASED TISSUE REGENERATION COULD BE THE RESULTS OF PREMATURE TELOMERE EROSION IN PATIENTS WITH SLE. HEREIN, THE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BASES OF INFLAMMAGING AND CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN SLE PATIENTS WILL BE EXTENSIVELY REVIEWED FROM THE ASPECTS OF MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTIONS, ABNORMAL BIOENERGETICS/IMMUNOMETABOLISM, AND TELOMERE/TELOMERASE DISEQUILIBRIUM. 2019 12 5912 20 TARGETED THERAPIES IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC, MULTISYSTEM DISORDER CHARACTERISED BY LOSS OF TOLERANCE TO ENDOGENOUS NUCLEAR ANTIGENS AND AUTOANTIBODY FORMATION. RECENT INSIGHT INTO THE IMMUNOPATHOGENESIS OF LUPUS HAS PROVIDED THE FOUNDATION FOR A NOVEL CLASS OF AGENTS WHICH TARGET SPECIFIC, DYSREGULATED COMPONENTS OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. EFFORTS HAVE FOCUSED PREDOMINANTLY ON B-CELL DEPLETING THERAPIES, OF WHICH BELIMUMAB WAS THE FIRST TO DEMONSTRATE SUCCESS IN PHASE III STUDIES AND THUS RECEIVE MARKETING AUTHORISATION. OFF-LABEL PRESCRIBING OF RITUXIMAB IN REFRACTORY CASES IS COMMON AND SUPPORTED BY UNCONTROLLED STUDIES, WHICH SUGGEST A FAVOURABLE RISK:BENEFIT PROFILE. HOWEVER, TWO PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIALS FAILED TO SHOW BENEFIT, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF INAPPROPRIATE PATIENT SELECTION AND OTHER ASPECTS OF TRIAL METHODOLOGY. INHIBITION OF DYSREGULATED CO-STIMULATORY SIGNALS AND CYTOKINES ARE OTHER THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION. SOME CANDIDATE DRUGS FAILED TO MEET PRIMARY ENDPOINTS IN EARLY-PHASE CLINICAL TRIALS, YET DEMONSTRATED CLINICAL BENEFIT WHEN ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA WERE APPLIED OR SPECIFIC PATIENT SUB-GROUPS ANALYSED. WELL-DESIGNED STUDIES OF GREATER SIZE AND DURATION ARE NEEDED TO CLARIFY THE THERAPEUTIC UTILITY OF THESE AGENTS. FUTURE IMMUNOMODULATORY STRATEGIES TARGETING INTERFERON-ALPHA, T CELLS, OXIDATIVE STRESS AND EPIGENETIC ABNORMALITIES MAY REDUCE MULTISYSTEM DISEASE ACTIVITY AND PROLONG SURVIVAL IN THIS COMPLEX AND HETEROGENEIC DISEASE. 2013 13 3209 25 HEALTH DISPARITIES IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC MULTISYSTEM AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY AUTOANTIBODY PRODUCTION AND DIVERSE CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS. THE MANY COMPLEX, OVERLAPPING, AND CLOSELY ASSOCIATED FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE SLE SUSCEPTIBILITY AND OUTCOMES INCLUDE ETHNIC DISPARITIES, LOW ADHERENCE TO MEDICATIONS, AND POVERTY, AND GEOGRAPHY. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY PROVIDE THE LINK BETWEEN THESE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AND BEHAVIORS AND THE DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF SLE SEEN IN ETHNIC MINORITIES. ATTENTION TO THESE MODIFIABLE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH WOULD NOT ONLY IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR VULNERABLE PATIENTS WITH SLE BUT LIKELY REDUCE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SLE AS WELL THROUGH EPIGENETIC CHANGES. 2020 14 2990 19 GENETIC FACTORS PREDISPOSING TO SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS AND LUPUS NEPHRITIS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY A LOSS OF TOLERANCE TO SELF-ANTIGENS AND THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH TITERS OF SERUM AUTOANTIBODIES. LUPUS NEPHRITIS CAN AFFECT UP TO 74% OF SLE PATIENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF HISPANIC AND AFRICAN ANCESTRIES, AND REMAINS A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. A GENETIC ETIOLOGY IN SLE IS NOW WELL SUBSTANTIATED. THANKS TO EXTENSIVE COLLABORATIONS, EXTRAORDINARY PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS AND THE NUMBER OF CONFIRMED GENES PREDISPOSING TO SLE HAS CATAPULTED TO APPROXIMATELY 30. STUDIES OF OTHER FORMS OF GENETIC VARIATION, SUCH AS COPY NUMBER VARIANTS AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, ARE EMERGING AND PROMISE TO REVOLUTIONIZE OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DISEASE MECHANISMS. HOWEVER, TO DATE LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF GENETIC FACTORS SPECIFIC TO LUPUS NEPHRITIS. ON THE NEAR HORIZON, TWO LARGE-SCALE EFFORTS, A COLLABORATIVE META-ANALYSIS OF LUPUS NEPHRITIS BASED ON ALL GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION DATA IN CAUCASIANS AND PARALLEL SCANS IN FOUR OTHER ETHNICITIES, ARE POISED TO MAKE FUNDAMENTAL DISCOVERIES IN THE GENETICS OF LUPUS NEPHRITIS. COLLECTIVELY, THESE FINDINGS WILL SHOW THAT A BROAD ARRAY OF PATHWAYS UNDERLINES THE GENETIC HETEROGENEITY OF SLE AND LUPUS NEPHRITIS, AND PROVIDE POTENTIAL AVENUES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL THERAPIES. 2010 15 3545 22 IMMUNOMETABOLISM IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A TYPICAL AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND PATHOGENIC AUTO-ANTIBODIES. APART FROM B CELLS, DYSREGULATION OF OTHER IMMUNE CELLS ALSO PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISEASE INCLUDING CD4(+)T CELLS, DENDRITIC CELLS, MACROPHAGES AND NEUTROPHILS. SINCE METABOLIC PROGRAMS CONTROL IMMUNE CELL FATE AND FUNCTION, THEY ARE CRITICAL CHECKPOINTS IN AN EFFECTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSE AND ARE INVOLVED IN THE ETIOLOGY OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE. IN ADDITION, MITOCHONDRIA AND OXIDATIVE STRESS ARE BOTH INVOLVED IN CELLULAR METABOLISM AND IS ALSO ESSENTIAL IN IMMUNE RESPONSE. IN THIS REVIEW, APART FROM THE DISTURBED IMMUNE SYSTEM, WE WILL DISCUSS MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, ABNORMAL METABOLISM (INCLUDING GLUCOSE, LIPID AND AMINO ACID METABOLISM) OF IMMUNE CELLS AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC CONTROL OF METABOLISM REPROGRAMMING TO ELUCIDATE THE UNDERLYING PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. 2020 16 2257 14 EPIGENETIC PERSPECTIVES IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: PATHOGENESIS, BIOMARKERS, AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIALS. SYSTEM LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRODUCTION OF AUTOANTIBODIES THAT CAUSE WIDESPREAD TISSUE DAMAGE. THE UNDERLYING ETIOLOGY REMAINS LARGELY UNKNOWN. ABERRANT EPIGENETICS PLAYS ESSENTIAL ROLES IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF SLE. THIS REVIEW EXPLORES THE LINKS BETWEEN DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND MIRNAS IN SLE AND HIGHLIGHTS HOW THESE FACTORS MAY INTERACT IN SLE PATHOGENESIS. WE ALSO DISCUSS HOW FURTHERING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF EPIGENETICS IN LUPUS PROVIDES HOPE FOR FINDING NEW DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS AND NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND STRATEGIES. 2010 17 2731 16 EXPLORING THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MICROBIOTA AND SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY VARIOUS AUTOANTIBODIES AND MULTI-ORGAN. MICROBIOTA DYSBIOSIS IN THE GUT, SKIN, ORAL, AND OTHER SURFACES HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON SLE DEVELOPMENT. THIS ARTICLE SUMMARIZES RELEVANT RESEARCH AND PROVIDES NEW MICROBIOME-RELATED STRATEGIES FOR EXPLORING THE MECHANISMS AND TREATING PATIENTS WITH SLE. RECENT FINDINGS: SLE PATIENTS HAVE DISRUPTIONS IN MULTIPLE MICROBIOMES, WITH THE GUT MICROBIOTA (BACTERIA, VIRUSES, AND FUNGI) AND THEIR METABOLITES BEING THE MOST THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED. THIS DYSBIOSIS CAN PROMOTE SLE PROGRESSION THROUGH MECHANISMS SUCH AS THE LEAKY GUT, MOLECULAR MIMICRY, AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION. NOTWITHSTANDING STUDY CONSTRAINTS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MICROBIOTA AND SLE, SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS TARGETING THE GUT MICROBIOTA, SUCH AS PROBIOTICS, DIETARY MANAGEMENT, AND FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION, HAVE EMERGED AS PROMISING SLE THERAPEUTICS. 2023 18 3044 28 GENOME-WIDE ANALYSIS OF 5-HMC IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS USING AN HMEDIP-CHIP. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC, POTENTIALLY FATAL SYSTEMIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRODUCTION OF AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST A WIDE RANGE OF SELF-ANTIGENS. TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF THE 5-HMC DNA MODIFICATION WITH REGARD TO THE ONSET OF SLE, WE COMPARED THE LEVELS 5-HMC BETWEEN SLE PATIENTS AND NORMAL CONTROLS. WHOLE BLOOD WAS OBTAINED FROM PATIENTS, AND GENOMIC DNA WAS EXTRACTED. USING THE HMEDIP-CHIP ANALYSIS AND VALIDATION BY QUANTITATIVE RT-PCR (RT-QPCR), WE IDENTIFIED THE DIFFERENTIALLY HYDROXYMETHYLATED REGIONS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SLE. THERE WERE 1,701 GENES WITH SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT 5-HMC LEVELS AT THE PROMOTER REGION IN THE SLE PATIENTS COMPARED WITH THE NORMAL CONTROLS. THE CPG ISLANDS OF 3,826 GENES SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT 5-HMC LEVELS IN THE SLE PATIENTS COMPARED WITH THE NORMAL CONTROLS. OUT OF THE DIFFERENTIALLY HYDROXYMETHYLATED GENES, THREE WERE SELECTED FOR VALIDATION, INCLUDING TREX1, CDKN1A AND CDKN1B. THE HYDROXYMETHYLATION LEVELS OF THE THREE GENES WERE CONFIRMED BY RT-QPCR. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT ALTERATIONS OF 5-HMC IN SLE PATIENTS. THUS, THESE DIFFERENTIALLY HYDROXYMETHYLATED GENES MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF SLE. THESE FINDINGS SHOW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 5-HMC AS A POTENTIAL BIOMARKER OR PROMISING TARGET FOR EPIGENETIC-BASED SLE THERAPIES. 2015 19 5885 21 SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS FOLLOWING HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINATION: A CASE-BASED REVIEW. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A HETEROGENEOUS SYSTEMIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (AIDS) WITH MANY PATHOGENIC FACTORS, RANGING FROM GENETIC TO EPIGENETIC TO ENVIRONMENTAL. THE HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV), A VIRAL INFECTIOUS AGENT, IS A COMMON CONTRIBUTOR TO THE ONSET AND EXACERBATION OF SLE. HPV INFECTIONS ARE MORE PREVALENT AMONG SLE PATIENTS THAN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, BRINGING ABOUT A SUBSTANTIAL NEED FOR TREATMENT. WHILE HPV RECOMBINANT GENE VACCINES ARE ACCEPTED AS A UNIVERSAL METHOD FOR INFECTION PREVENTION, THEY POSE A RISK FOR ADVERSE EVENTS SUCH AS FEVER, JOINT PAIN, AND RASHES. IN RARE CASES, THEY MIGHT EVEN TRIGGER AIDS SUCH AS SLE, ESPECIALLY IN PATIENTS WITH A PERSONAL OR FAMILY HISTORY OF SUCH DISEASES. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PROVIDE A REPORT OF A CASE OF SLE ONSET FOLLOWING HPV VACCINATION AND A REVIEW OF 11 SIMILAR CASES. AN ANALYSIS OF 12 PATIENTS REVEALED THAT 7 CASES OF SLE DEVELOPED BETWEEN 3 WEEKS AND 2 MONTHS POST-VACCINATION. SYMPTOMS OF SLE GENERALLY MANIFEST AS FATIGUE, FEVER, JOINT PAIN, AND MYALGIA. TWO PATIENTS HAD LUPUS NEPHRITIS, 2 SHOWED CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT, INCLUDING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR AND EPILEPTIC SEIZURES, AND 1 HAD INTESTINAL PSEUDO-OBSTRUCTION. ALL PATIENTS SHOWED RAPID REMISSION WITH GLUCOCORTICOID AND IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY AND REMAINED STABLE DURING SEVERAL MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP. 2022 20 6544 22 TRANSCRIPTOMIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN DENDRITIC CELLS CORRESPOND WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN LUPUS NEPHRITIS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A SERIOUS AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE WITH VARIETY OF ORGAN MANIFESTATIONS. THE MOST DREADFUL ONE, AFFECTING THE MAJORITY OF SLE PATIENTS, IS KIDNEY MANIFESTATION-LUPUS NEPHRITIS (LN). DENDRITIC CELLS (DC) ARE BELIEVED TO BE ONE OF THE CULPRITS OF IMMUNE DYSREGULATION IN LN. FLOW CYTOMETRY ANALYSIS WAS APPLIED TO IDENTIFY THE FREQUENCY AND ACTIVITY OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD DCS SUBPOPULATIONS: MYELOID AND PLASMACYTOID, IN LN PATIENTS. MAGNETICALLY ISOLATED MDCS AND PDCS WERE SUBJECTED TO MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF GENES EXPRESSION, EVALUATION OF GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE H3 METHYLATION. WE OBSERVED DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF DCS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STAGES OF NEPHRITIS IN LN PATIENTS. LOWER NUMBERS OF PDCS WERE OBSERVED IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE LN, WHILE INCREASED CO-STIMULATORY POTENTIAL OF MDCS WAS CONNECTED WITH THE EARLY, MILD STAGE OF THIS DISEASE. IRF1 TRANSCRIPT UPREGULATION WAS SPECIFIC FOR MDCS FROM TOTAL LN PATIENTS, WHILE EXCEPTIONAL AMOUNT OF IRF1 MRNA WAS DETECTED IN MDCS FROM SEVERE LN PATIENTS. DCS DNA HYPERMETHYLATION SEEMED CHARACTERISTIC FOR SEVERE LN, WHEREAS A DECREASE IN H3K4ME3 AND H3K27ME3 MARKS WAS SIGNIFICANT FOR THE EARLY STAGES OF LN. THESE FINDINGS PRESENT DENDRITIC CELL ALTERATIONS THAT MAY REFLECT RENAL INVOLVEMENT IN SLE, LAYING FOUNDATIONS FOR NEW STRATEGY OF DIAGNOSIS AND MONITORING OF LN PATIENTS, OMITTING INVASIVE KIDNEY BIOPSIES. 2019