Identification of genes specifically over-expressed in lupus CD4 T and B cells

Objective: Gene expression studies performed on PBMC from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients provided strong evidence of a type I interferon signature, underscoring the potential role of these cytokines in the physiopathology of SLE. In this work, we performed microarray analyses of differential gene expression using purified CD4 T and B cells sorted from SLE PBMC. In order to discriminate genes specific to SLE from those induced by inflammatory responses in general, control samples were obtained not only from healthy individuals but also from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

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