IF THE body fails to dispose of dead cells, the immune system moves
in鈥攁nd may acquire a taste for healthy tissue. That could be how the
autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus develops, says Tarik
M枚r枚y of the Institute for Cell Biology in Essen, Germany.
Lupus, whose symptoms include rashes and kidney problems, affects over a
million people in the US alone. One of the genes implicated in lupus codes for
Dnase1, an enzyme that breaks down nuclear material in dead cells. To confirm
its role, M枚r枚y and his colleagues disabled the gene in mice. The mice
developed the classic symptoms of lupus (Nature Genetics, vol 25, p
177).
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear this rubbish disposal mechanism is very important in the
development of lupus,鈥� says M枚r枚y. Now it might be possible to create
new drugs, he says.
Advertisement