A research team of Professor Yoontae Lee and Jiho Park, a PhD candidate, from the Department of Life Sciences at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) recently discovered that a particular protein promotes the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America ( PNAS ), one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific journal. B cells, components of the body's immune system, produce antibodies to combat pathogens such as viruses that enter the body from the outside.
T follicular helper (TFH) cells assist B cells in generating these antibodies. However, an overabundance of TFHs can cause B cells to become overly active, resulting in autoimmune diseases. In such cases, B cells mistakenly recognize the body's own tissues and cells as pathogens and produce autoantibodies even when no external pathogens are present.
SLE, one of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases, is marked by a butterfly-shaped red rash and arthritis that primarily affects the nose and cheeks. The symptoms and affected immune cells vary from patient to patient, and the cause and the underlying mechanisms are not clearly understood, complicating the provision of personalized treatment. Previous research by Professor Yoontae Lee's team suggested that ETV5, a specific transcription factor expressed in T cells , promotes the differentiation of T cells into TFH cells, potentially .