UNIST Researchers Suppress Lupus Onset by Regulating Proteins

Recently, it has been revealed that a certain protein promotes the occurrence of lupus and nephritis, drawing attention as a clue to the cause of lupus onset and the development of new treatments.

The research team led by Professor Kwon Hyuk-moo from the Department of Life Sciences at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), in collaboration with Professor Yang Jae-seok's nephrology team at Yonsei University, discovered that a protein called TonEBP promotes the occurrence of lupus and nephritis.

In this study, it was confirmed that TonEBP is more highly expressed in the kidneys of lupus nephritis patients compared to control patients. This trend was observed not only in kidney cells but also in immune cells important for maintaining immune function, such as macrophages and T cells.

The increased TonEBP showed a strong correlation with inflammatory cytokines deeply involved in inflammatory responses such as bacterial or viral infections.

Animal experiments conducted alongside also revealed that regulating the TonEBP protein can suppress lupus onset and kidney damage.

Expression of TonEBP in cells within the kidney tissue of a patient with lupus nephritis.

The research team confirmed through animal experiments that specifically reducing TonEBP in myeloid cells can suppress lupus onset and kidney damage. This is because TonEBP regulates T cell differentiation through phagocytosis and antigen presentation in macrophages.

They also found that TonEBP expression increases due to damage-associated molecular patterns expressed in apoptotic or damaged cells in macrophages. This can block phagocytosis and control NF-kappaB and interferon regulatory factors involved in cytokine production, thereby inducing the expression of various inflammatory cytokines.

In other words, reducing TonEBP decreases these inflammatory responses, preventing lupus onset and kidney damage.

Professor Kwon Hyuk-moo of the Department of Life Sciences stated, “This study confirmed that TonEBP is a causative factor of lupus onset,” adding, “This research identified the cause of the disease and further provided clues for the development of new treatments.”

This study was published online on May 5 and in print on July 1 in Kidney International, a top international journal related to kidney diseases. The research was supported by the Mid-career Research Program and the SRC support project of the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Science and ICT.

First author Researcher Yoon Eun-jin (left), Professor Kwon Hyuk-moo.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.