Murine models of systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disorder. The study of diverse mouse models of lupus has provided clues to the etiology of SLE. Spontaneous mouse models of lupus have led to identification of numerous susceptibility loci from which several candidate genes have emerged. Meanwhile, induced models of lupus have provided insight into the role of environmental factors in lupus pathogenesis as well as provided a better understanding of cellular mechanisms involved in the onset and progression of disease. The SLE-like phenotypes present in these models have also served to screen numerous potential SLE therapies. Due to the complex nature of SLE, it is necessary to understand the effect specific targeted therapies have on immune homeostasis. Furthermore, knowledge gained from mouse models will provide novel therapy targets for the treatment of SLE.

Figure 1

Integration of human and murine studies for new SLE drug discovery. Study of human SLE patients and mouse models of lupus has led to the identification of potential therapeutic targets. In-depth studies in murine models are undertaken to validate the association of the potential targets with disease symptoms. The efficacy of targeted treatments are first tested on murine models of lupus prior to the initiation of human clinical trials.