Inflammatory Cytokines in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Figure 1

The vicious circle of IFN signaling in SLE: ICs bind to Fc gamma RII receptors on pDCs and reach the endosomes where they are recognized by TLRs. TLRs transduce signals to the nucleus which induce transcription of IFN. IFN secretion enhances expression of its own receptor on pDCs, mDCs, and monocytes. Furthermore, IFN promotes maturation of DCs which leads to disruption of peripheral tolerance and activation of autoreactive CD4 T helper cells. The appearance of autoreactive CD4 T cells is further amplified by upregulation of CD80 and CD86 on APCs. This results in enhanced B cell help by autoreactive CD4 cells, which is again sustained by an upregulation of BAFF. The increased formation of autoreactive B cells triggers appearance of ICs and further IFN release.