Advances in Epigenetics and Integration of Omics in Lupus

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, multi-organ disease that predominantly affects young women of childbearing age. It is also a disease in which epigenetic modulation is emerging as an important mechanism for understanding how the environment interacts with inherited genes to produce disease. Much of the genetic risk for SLE identified in genome-wide association studies has been shown to lie in the non-coding genome, where epigenetic modifications of DNA and histone proteins regulate and co-ordinate transcription on a genome-wide basis. Novel methodologies, including high-throughput sequencing of open chromatin, RNA sequencing, protein microarrays, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, have revealed intriguing insights into the pathogenesis of SLE. We review these recent data and their potential contribution to more accurate diagnoses and the development of new therapeutic agents to improve patient outcomes.