Research advances in the study of type I interferon pathways in the pathogenesls of systemic lupus er-ymematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)is a common autoimmune disease and many SLE patients show increased serum IFN-α and over-expression of IFN-responsive genes in leukocytes and target tissues.As the inducers of IFN-α.nucleic acid-containing immune complexes accompanied with exogenous triggers could activate type I IFN pathways(TLR-dependent and TLR-independent)and then result in elevated IFN-α production and establish a vicious circle,which launches and maintains the autoimmune process of SLE. Key words: Systemic lupus erythematosus; Interferon-α; IFN-I