Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system that normally protects the body from invading microbes turns against the body’s own cells. Researchers studied four patients from two families who developed symptoms of SLE in the first years of life. As familial occurrence of SLE in young children is highly unusual, the team searched for a primary genetic cause and found a mutation in the UNC93B1 gene in all affected family members.
