Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital "Gaetano Martino", Messina, Italy.
Department of Rheumatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Autoimmunity. 2020 Jun;53(4):177-191. doi: 10.1080/08916934.2020.1755962. Epub 2020 Apr 23.
The pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterised by the hyper-activation of immunologic pathways related to the antiviral response. Exogenous and endogenous retroviruses, by integrating their DNA templates in the host cell genome, may epigenetically control the transcription of genes involved in the immune response. Furthermore, their nucleic acids or neo-synthesized proteins could stimulate the sensor molecules placed upstream the inflammatory cascade. Exogenous retroviruses, like human immunodeficiency virus, have been associated to SLE-like manifestations or to a fair SLE diagnosis. In addition, there is some evidence confirming a pathogenic role of human endogenous retroviruses in SLE. In line with these data, the use of antiretroviral agents could represent an attractive opportunity in the future therapeutic algorithms of this disease, but studies are still missing.
系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）的发病机制以与抗病毒反应相关的免疫途径的过度激活为特征。外源性和内源性逆转录病毒通过将其 DNA 模板整合到宿主细胞基因组中，可能在表观遗传水平上控制参与免疫反应的基因的转录。此外，它们的核酸或新合成的蛋白质可能会刺激炎症级联反应上游的传感器分子。外源性逆转录病毒，如人类免疫缺陷病毒，与狼疮样表现或相当的狼疮诊断有关。此外，有一些证据证实人类内源性逆转录病毒在 SLE 中的致病作用。与这些数据一致，抗逆转录病毒药物的使用可能代表未来这种疾病治疗方案的一个有吸引力的机会，但目前仍缺乏相关研究。
