A protective role for innate immunity in autoimmune disease

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an incurable autoimmune disease characteriz ed by autoantibodies directed against highly conserved nuclear proteins and DNA. While the cause of lupus is not known, B-lymphocytes are essential fo r disease. Most striking is that deficiency in components of the innate imm une system such as complement is a major risk factor in disease. One explan ation for the involvement of complement and innate immunity is that they ar e important in the induction and maintenance of B cell tolerance to lupus a ntigens. (C) 2000 Academic Press.