Marshall Smith

Molecular Signaling Differences in Systemic and Discoid Lupus Erythematosus

Started Apr. 26, 2024

Abstract or project description

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Discoid Lupus Erythematosus are lupus subtypes with distinctive disease manifestations and genetic profiles. This study aims to investigate the differential expression of interferon-alpha/beta signaling in B cells of SLE and DLE patients. We hypothesize that SLE will have an increase in alpha/beta signaling compared to DLE due to SLE’s pathogenesis. This study was completed using clinical single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data. In lupus, B cells are hyperactive and create autoantibodies that attack the body's own cells. Due to B cells' known role in lupus, they were chosen as the target cell type for this study. The B cell populations for each patient were computationally isolated and analyzed for differential gene expression. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that, in SLE, there is a statistically significant increase in the expression of interferon-alpha/beta signaling compared to DLE. This increase concurs with the systemic, multi-organ tenacity of SLE compared to the localized skin lesions created by DLE. These findings support interferon-alpha/beta signaling as a potential therapeutic target for SLE.