Gene Behind Autoimmune Diseases Identified by Researchers

Newswise — A report in the March 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that a pinpointed region of chromosome 17, a gene named NALP1, could be a new target of treatment for autoimmune diseases. This is a particularly exciting discovery because NALP1, a gene known to control part of the immune system that serves to alert the body to viral and bacterial attacks, has not previously been specifically implicated in autoimmune diseases, affirms the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), a national nonprofit patient advocacy organization. The discovery was the result of collaboration between St. George University of London, the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC), and the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Disorders.
Why does the body choose the misdirected path of attacking itself, in an autoimmune process, when it sets out to eliminate invaders, such as bacteria or viruses, thus resulting in autoimmune diseases--for example, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo, thyroiditis (Graves', Hashimoto's), juvenile (type 1) diabetes, or any one of the more than 100 such diseases?
The findings of this latest research study, which followed 656 persons from 114 extended families in the United States and the United Kingdom who had multiple autoimmune diseases, give the researchers a clue as to why the immune system attacks one of the body's own tissues. "If the sensor NALP1 is overreactive, it could trigger a response to the wrong stimulus," said Professor Dorothy Bennett, Professor of Cell Biology at St. George's University of London, investigator for the UK arm of the study. She added, "We hope to study exactly how this works and to learn even more from the other genes that we are working to identify."
Lead investigator Dr. Richard Spritz, director of the Human Medical Genetics Program at UCDHSC, was quoted as saying, "Since NALP1 appears to be part of our body's early-warning system for viral or bacterial attack, this gives us ideas about how to try to discover the environmental triggers of these diseases." Dr. Spritz said, "This finding may also


For more information www.aarda.org