PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Researchers explore origins of lupus, find reason for condition’s prevalence among women

A molecule associated with X chromosomes may contribute to the development of lupus in females

2023-11-13
(Press-News.org) For years, researchers and clinicians have known that lupus, an autoimmune condition, occurs in women at a rate nine times higher than in men. Some of the factors that cause the disease’s high prevalence in women have eluded discovery, but in a new study investigating the immune system processes in lupus and the X chromosome, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have uncovered answers about the disease’s frequency in females.

A number of dysregulated genetic and biological pathways contribute to the development of lupus and its varied symptoms of muscle and joint pain, skin rashes, kidney problems and other complications throughout the body. One such pathway involves a protein in the immune system called toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), which, in lupus, reacts to the body’s own RNA, molecules that act as messengers of genetic information. TLR7’s reaction to RNA triggers an immune response that damages healthy tissue.

In the full article, published in the October volume of the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, researchers honed in on this TLR7 immune response in lupus, looking specifically at how a piece of genetic material only found in women, known as X-inactive specific transcript (XIST), could trigger TLR7’s immune system response. XIST is a type of RNA that plays a crucial role in inactivating one of the two X chromosomes found in female cells so that females do not have imbalanced gene expression.

“XIST has previously been implicated in autoimmunity, but more as something that could prevent autoimmune conditions like lupus, rather than drive the disease’s development,” says study author Erika Darrah, Ph.D., adjunct professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University school of Medicine. She has since left the university, but led the project. “Our findings show the opposite, that XIST actually plays a role in promoting autoimmunity — increasing the susceptibility to lupus and its severity in women.”

The research team first tested whether XIST could bind to TLR7 and initiate the receptor’s immune response using cellular experiments. They observed that XIST could strongly bind to TLR7 and trigger the production of molecules called interferons, an immune system protein seen at high levels in lupus that contributes to tissue damage in this disease. Rather than protect from TLR7 and interferon’s negative effects on the body, these tests illustrated that XIST drove the process of an overactive immune response and therefore contributed to lupus development.

“XIST has now taken on a different role, an alarm signal related to autoimmunity,” says study author Brendan Antiochos, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “The immune system activation through XIST and TLR7 is female-specific, helping explain the observation that lupus is so much more common in women compared to men.”

To further study XIST’s role in lupus, researchers also examined XIST levels in patients from two lupus cohorts. The team tested blood samples from patients at the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center for XIST levels, and also used publicly available data from another study that showed XIST and interferon levels in white blood cells taken from the kidneys of people with lupus. They assessed that not only did the levels of XIST in the kidney correlate with higher interferon levels, but also, those with more XIST in their blood cells experienced greater disease severity and worsened lupus symptoms.

Darrah and Antiochos say these findings may implicate XIST in other autoimmune conditions that are more often seen in women, and that more research should be conducted to investigate this female-specific process.

Researchers also say that understanding XIST’s role in lupus development may open the doors for creative therapies to treat the condition that target the XIST-TLR7 pathway, as well as offer an additional explanation for patients who may wonder about the origins of their disease.

Additional study authors include Jonathan Crawford, Hong Wang, Daniela Trejo-Zambrano, Raffaello Cimbro, C. Conover Talbot Jr., Mekha Thomas, Ashley Curran, Alexander Girgis, John Schroeder, Andrea Fava, Daniel Goldman, Michelle Petri, and Antony Rosen, all from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

C. Conover Talbot Jr. reports ownership of Merck & Co. common stock. Erika Darrah is an author of US Patents 14/617,412 (awarded), 10,874,726 (awarded), 62/481,158 (provisional), 048317-642P01US (provisional), and 63/515,854 (provisional) and is a cofounder of Simmbion, LLC. Michell Petri receives research support from Eli Lilly & Co., GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, and Aurinia. Erika Darrah and Raffaello Cimbro are current employees of AstraZeneca, and Jonathan Crawford is a current employee of Eli Lilly & Co. and may receive stock options.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Capture or reuse CO2 as a chemical source for the production of sustainable plastics

Capture or reuse CO2 as a chemical source for the production of sustainable plastics
2023-11-13
A scientific team has developed a new polyurethane production technique using CO2 to create new types of easily recyclable plastics. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemistry Society (J.A.C.S.), could provide a solution for the development of truly sustainable plastics. Commodity plastics have transformed global industry. Whether in construction, clothing, vehicles or food packaging, these plastics are everywhere in our daily lives, so much so that their global use has been estimated at around 460 million tons in 2019. This number is staggering, but not surprising, because plastics, also known as synthetic polymers, have met a large ...

Self-deception may seed ‘hubris balancing,’ leading to Putin’s war against Ukraine

2023-11-13
Strategy underlies the affairs of national leaders, including how they view and interact with other states — but what if such strategy is borne of self-deception? That’s the thrust of a novel international relations theory that Ryuta Ito of Hiroshima University has now expanded upon, providing psychological rationalization to explain the irrational acts of national leaders at war. Ito penned his reasoning on Sept. 5 in the journal International Affairs. “Why did Vladimir Putin decide to invade Ukraine in 2022?” asked Ito, assistant professor in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hiroshima University. ...

Appropriate statin prescriptions increase sixfold with automated referrals

2023-11-13
PHILADELPHIA— The odds of prescribing the appropriate dose of statins—a medicine used to lower “bad” cholesterol levels—increased sixfold when automated referrals were made to pharmacy services, instead of relying on traditional prescribing methods, according to researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. More than 90 million people in the U.S. use statins, making it one of the most prescribed medications in the county. Despite their effectiveness in lowering cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular ...

When keeping secrets could brighten your day

2023-11-13
Though people often want to share good news as soon as they learn it, a study published by the American Psychological Association has found that keeping good news a secret before telling someone else could make people feel more energized and alive. “Decades of research on secrecy suggest it is bad for our well-being, but this work has only examined keeping secrets that have negative implications for our lives. Is secrecy inherently bad for our well-being or do the negative effects of secrecy tend to stem from keeping negative secrets?” asked lead author Michael ...

It takes a village: Hunter-gatherer approach to childcare suggests that the key to mother and child wellbeing may be many caregivers

It takes a village: Hunter-gatherer approach to childcare suggests that the key to mother and child wellbeing may be many caregivers
2023-11-13
Infants and toddlers may be psychologically wired to thrive with high levels of “sensitive care” and personal attention, according to a study conducted with contemporary hunter-gatherer societies. Research led by an evolutionary anthropologist at Cambridge University found that hunter-gatherer infants receive attentive care and physical contact for about nine hours per day from up to 15 different caregivers. Dr Nikhil Chaudhary says that, for the vast majority of our species’ evolutionary history, ...

The American Pediatric Society announces its new members for 2023

2023-11-13
The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce eighty-four new members. Founded in 1888, the APS is North America's first and most prestigious academic pediatric organization. New members will be recognized during the APS Presidential Plenary at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2024 Meeting. APS members are recognized child health leaders of extraordinary achievement who work together to shape the future of academic pediatrics. Current members nominate new members by recognizing individuals who have distinguished themselves as child health leaders, ...

Reviewing new challenges and opportunities for hepatitis B cures

Reviewing new challenges and opportunities for hepatitis B cures
2023-11-13
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a significant public health problem, with over 296 million people chronically infected worldwide. Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine for over 40 years, HBV remains a leading cause of liver disease and death. One of the main challenges to curing HBV is the unique biology of the virus. HBV replicates through a covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) intermediate integrated into the host genome. This makes it very difficult to eradicate the virus completely, even with effective antiviral therapy. Another challenge is the impaired immune response to HBV in chronically infected individuals. The virus has evolved several mechanisms to evade ...

AI faces look more real than actual human face

2023-11-13
White faces generated by artificial intelligence (AI) now appear more real than human faces, according to new research led by experts at The Australian National University (ANU).  In the study, more people thought AI-generated white faces were human than the faces of real people. The same wasn’t true for images of people of colour.  The reason for the discrepancy is that AI algorithms are trained disproportionately on white faces, Dr Amy Dawel, the senior author of the paper, said.  “If white AI faces are consistently perceived as more realistic, this technology could have serious implications for people of colour by ultimately reinforcing ...

Forming ice: There’s a fungal protein for that

2023-11-13
The way ice forms is a lot more interesting than you think. This basic physical process, among the most common in nature, also remains somewhat mysterious despite decades of scientific scrutiny. Now new research from the University of Utah, with Germany’s Max Plank Institute for Polymer Research and Idaho’s Boise State University, is shedding fresh light on the role of biological agents—produced by fungi of all things—in ice formation. Contrary to what we have been taught in school, water won’t necessarily freeze at 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees F) because of the energy barrier ...

TTUHSC’s Wilkerson to investigate links between pain and basal sex hormone levels

TTUHSC’s Wilkerson to investigate links between pain and basal sex hormone levels
2023-11-13
For most patients, acute pain following a surgical procedure is a common and expected hurdle which is eventually cleared during recovery. However, there is a small but significant patient population that experiences chronic post-surgical pain that may linger for six months or longer.  Sex hormones (e.g., estrogen in females and testosterone in males) are generally regarded as contributors to post-surgical pain development and maintenance, and basal sex hormones are the range of sex hormones expected to be produced in a healthy individual at any point in time. When basal sex ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice

Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast

Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds

The experts that can outsmart optical illusions

Pregnancy may reduce long COVID risk

Scientists uncover novel immune mechanism in wheat tandem kinase

Three University of Virginia Engineering faculty elected as AAAS Fellows

Unintentional drug overdoses take a toll across the U.S. unequally, study finds

A step toward plant-based gelatin

ECMWF unveils groundbreaking ML tool for enhanced fire prediction

[Press-News.org] Researchers explore origins of lupus, find reason for condition’s prevalence among women
A molecule associated with X chromosomes may contribute to the development of lupus in females